The Harry Potter Code 2: The Last Battle
by bonnythebunny
Summary: Harry has found out he has a twin sister after deciphering a code left by his parents. Now he and Aimee must be separated due to a magic link they share. Voldemort decides to attack Beauxbatons to kidnap Aimee, use their link, and lure Harry to him.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hey people! This is the sequel to the Harry Potter Code! You might wanna read that first, it's only 24 chapters long. You'll be a bit lost without reading the first one, and there are too many things to explain here.**

**I want to say hi to my old reviewers and welcome to the new ones. I hope you review and like this story!**

**Disclaimer (this time I'm not forgetting that I have to put it in!): I don't own Harry Potter, although I wish it did. **

With a mass of messy black hair and bright green eyes, 16-year-old Harry Potter looked out the window on the cold January evening. They had just come back from the winter vacations in the Burrow, with Hermione, Ron, and Aimee. She was Harry's newly found twin sister. He was watching down the window at some girls who were outside, giggling as they made snow angels on the fresh snow. Or at least that's what he thought they were doing.

He recognized the black-haired girl as Aimee as she was buffeted in the face by a snowball thrown by a brown head, which was Hermione, and she and the red-head, Ginny, shrieked with laughter as Aimee fell to the floor with a soft thump.

He watched as she pretended to be hurt so Hermione and Ginny walked cautiously toward her and then, quick as lightning, she turned around and nailed Hermione square on the face with an equally big snowball, then grabbed another prepared snowball and flung it at Ginny, who was running for her life and it hit her back.

More laughs, and Hermione took after Aimee, who shrieked and ran off as Hermione chased her, finally getting out of breath and stopping.

He heard one of them say (sounded like Ginny) to go inside and get some hot chocolate, and then all three took off, racing and laughing, picking up snow on the way and flinging it randomly at each other. Harry watched as the black-haired girl got there first, since she was by far the most sporty (well, her father _was _a Quidditch player, didn't that count for something?), followed by a red head (she would have had a chance at beating Aimee if it wasn't that the snow got in her eyes when someone through it at her), and then, very slowly, a brown head panting last, calling "Wait up!" to them. Then all three girls entered together.

A sudden hand flew in front of Harry's face, flapping and making him react (and someone said "Wake up, Harry!") and- "Whoa!" he tripped, and fell backwards on his butt. Ron's laughter told him that he had been the one who had done the evil treachery.

"Oy, Ron! What the bloody hell was that for?" Harry said angrily, getting up slowly, and rubbing his… injury.

"You (haha) stare (hahahaha) Ginny (hahaha) lots (hahaha)" Ron said in between fits of laughter, bending double weakly, laughing at what a simple hand could do.

"I wasn't _staring _at her, I was only… looking at them be outside!" Harry hissed furiously, narrowing his eyes dangerously. He hadn't been staring at Ginny. Nope. Not one bit. He wasn't staring at her and hadn't done so for the last half hour. Yeah, that's right… was it? Or was it that her red head stuck out weirdly from the snow?

"If you like her _that _much, why don't you ask her out?" Ron said, chuckling to himself, and flopping down on one of the smushy sofas in the Common Room. But he only got another pair of narrowed eyes pointed evilly at him. "You wouldn't mind?" he asked very, _very_ quietly.

"No duh. What would be better for Ginny than _the _Great Harry Potter himself? And anyway, I'd prefer someone I know well" Ron shrugged, but grinned at Harry as if daring him to ask her out.

Just then a couple of laughs were heard, and the girls dropped, yes literally dropped in, from hole in the Painting, laughing like drunken idiots announcing their crashing at a wedding. Each of them had a cup of steaming hot chocolate, and they were swinging them around dangerously. Harry just managed to get out of the way before he got a three degree burn from his VERY own sister.

Their noses were red from the cold, and Aimee's cheeks had gone red from laughing so much. A few flecks of snow were still in their hair, and they were still wearing scarves, mittens, and coats.

"Watch it, will you? You'd swear you put drugs in them things…" Harry said, sitting down on the sofa next to Ron, who began to do loud obvious coughing which sounded a lot like 'ask her out'.

"Whoo! You should have been there!" Aimee said breathlessly, sitting down on the floor across from them, near the fire. Hermione took of her hat and said; "The ice froze on a piece of the lake, so we decided to walk on it, but it was so cool since we fell down a lot!" she sat on the floor next to Aimee and began to take off all her winter things, and Ginny went and sat down with them.

"Oh, yes, as we _all _love falling down on ice, don't we, Harry?" Ron said sarcastically, and nudging Harry on the ribs. "No" Harry answered, raising his eyebrows.

Aimee had a sudden temptation of saying 'Hello, Mr. Grumpy-Gills' like Dory on _Finding Nemo_, but resisted. She felt that Harry wasn't angry, or sad, just… she didn't know. A kind of feeling… what was it? Why couldn't she describe it? She just couldn't put her finger on it, and she began to feel thoughtful.

"Ah, lighten up!" Ginny said from her place I front of the fire.

"I'm not in a bad mood or anything, I'm just thinking… Dumbledore called me and told me he thought he knew what was this 'link' or whatever it is that's been going on the past two months" Harry shrugged.

"What?" Aimee jerked up. "He finally figured it out? Why didn't you _say_ so?"

Harry laughed at this, but he merely shrugged. "Guess I kinda forgot"

"After we've been waiting for an answer for _weeks_?"

He didn't answer, he just shrugged again. Aimee had the feeling he didn't know, or just couldn't think of an answer as he was already thinking of something else _far_ more important.

Harry leaned back on the sofa after a while, thinking hard. It was strange… he remembered that time, about two days after discovering she was his sister, that he had been walking down the hallways alone, and suddenly get a very furiously angry feeling, and he felt like breaking something, to kick, to destroy. He felt like he did at the end of his fifth year, with the anger and guilt on him as he destroyed Dumbledore's possessions. He then found out that while he had been out Ron, Hermione, and Aimee had been told that Wormtail had once again escaped, and then, after they told him, he felt it again.

Another time, while practicing Quidditch, Harry had fallen of his broom. It was only five feet, but he twisted his ankle horribly, and Aimee had shrieked when he fell (she had been looking somewhere else at that time, strangely), and then rubbed her leg and apologized to Hermione for scaring her so when Harry was killing himself.

Another example was also when Harry had NOT been staring at Ginny for the last 20 minutes and Aimee had been looking out the window sighting as if she was heart-broken, since it was raining.

Well, it was pretty weird, too, that sometimes Harry felt he was reading Aimee's mind, like that time when Pansy Parkinson said something nasty to Hermione, and he had thought of only one spell to cast on her, _Tentaculus_, then saw to his great amazement that great green tentacles had grown in Pansy's face, and that the only one with a wand was Aimee, and was hiding it under her robes.

"Well, what a relief, because you two've been weird lately" Ginny said, and Aimee pushed her of her kneeling position onto the floor while Ginny laughed.

"At what time did he say we have to be there?" Aimee asked.

"He said at quarter after four" He answered.

"Oy…" Ron began, looking at his watch, "it's four thirty"

"Shit!" Harry and Aimee exclaimed at the same time, Aimee jumping up and dropping her cup, Harry throwing his homework out of the way. They took of at once through the Portrait Hole, leaving only a trail of papers flying and Aimee's hot chocolate splattered all over the floor.

**A/N: Hope you guys liked this chapter and that it wasn't weird or anything. It's just that I started the sequel thinking of how I'd continue a chapter on the first story, haha.**


	2. Physically and Mentally

**A/N: Here's you second chapter, and here we see what Dumbledore has to say!**

**People who haven't read the first part; I suggest you go read the Harry Potter Code (first story, or prequel, or whatever it's called) NOW or you'll be a bit lost throughout the chapter, or else the explanation won't make sense. Don't say I didn't warn you! Just click search, and look for 'The Harry Potter Code' from bonnythebunny (me!) and read it. It's only 24 chapters long and it's really good (if I do say so myself, the author)**

"Brilliant, Harry! Absolutely perfect! Thinking and thinking but fancy you forgetting it!" Aimee hissed angrily as they both ran down the hallway to Dumbledore's office.

"Yeah, and I'm really _sorry_!" Harry spat back sarcastically. He couldn't say no more as he was panting hard. They stopped in front of the Stone Gargoyle and Harry said the password out of breath (Skittles, this time).

"Well, if he asks, then it's _your _fault" Aimee said under her breath to Harry as they opened the door to Dumbledore's office after he had said; "Enter"

"You're a tad bit late" Dumbledore said with a knowing smile, and his blue eyes twinkled innocently. Aimee shot Harry a look that clearly said: 'Speak'

"We- I mean, I- I forgot…" Harry panted, walking slowly to the chintz chairs Dumbledore had appeared and collapsing in one. Aimee followed, breathing hard, and lowered herself in the other, out of breath.

"I see by the fact that you two ran here?" Dumbledore asked, the smile still in its place. Harry and Aimee could only nod.

"Well, I suppose we could begin by me telling you my theory…" Dumbledore said, this time more seriously. Both twins sat up straight and looked at Dumbledore in the eyes, wanting an answer after so many weeks.

"I have come to the conclusion, after so much research, that the link that you are both feeling is ancient magic, like the one from your mother. I finally found a _very _old scroll of parchment from Egypt, written by the a great sorcerer, one of the first, named Arvachen. He had a twin sister named Ariada. Arvachen's sister was killed in an Egyptian Magician's Battle, and he brought her back to life by placing a blessing, or curse, between them both. This link was complicated, yet simple; he could feel what she was feeling, whether it was hate or love, anger or happiness, and visa versa. The other half was physical; that means they could feel the pain that they both had. For example, if Ariada broke an arm, Arvachen would feel the pain, too, but his arm would be perfectly fine. See what I mean?" Dumbledore paused for a second to see if they understood, and he kept going when he saw them both nod their heads, amazed.

"The spell was _Avada Arvadek_. As you can see, Ariada is _Avada, _and Arvachen is _Arvadek. _The spell consisted of a sacrifice of Arvachen's blood inserted in the wand, as no-one knows how he did it… But, as the scroll says: 'The sword that killed Ariada was meant for me'. That means Ariada did a sacrifice for her brother, losing her life to save his. The spell was supposed to be undone if Ariada took back the blood.

Now, what does this have to do with you? Lily Evans lost her life to save her children's, and that was what made Voldemort's wand backfire when inserting poison into Aimee's wrist, and taking her blood, which, in this case, was the blood sacrifice. The wand was still malfunctioning when he tried to kill Harry, and so the spell was said backwards, both a killing and reviving spell. _Arvadek _is _Kedavra _backwards. That is why Voldemort lived, too. Since the blood was given to Harry, it was him who was fully alive, whereas Voldemort was only _just _alive.

The scroll I read contained the spell and the story. What happened two months ago was what awakened the link, as they have been developing since then. What saved you both from dying is that Arvachen was wrong. There is no counter-curse to the spell he put on himself and his sister, as long as they're together, they can die, as they are sharing blood. One cannot die when he or she is missing half of him or herself.They are one body separated into two, as Arvachen gave his blood to Ariada after she gave him his. That is why Voldemort can't kill you if you're apart, but only when you are both killed by his wand at the same time. (**There will be no horcruxes on this story**). I was wrong, Joanne (**Rowling. She was Lily's best friend, and wrote the books to protect Aimee. Find out more on the first!**) was wrong. Aimee can't kill Harry by the scars on your head and wrists. Those just mean the physical and mental links." Dumbledore finished. He got up and walked over the side of his desks, looking at them intently on how their reaction was.

Harry blinked. It all made sense. He didn't make a noise, and he knew perfectly well that Aimee was feeling the same thing. "Wow…" Aimee whispered next to him. Her mouth was a bit open, just a bit, her eyes had confusion, yet understanding altogether. Harry knew he was staring into space, thinking hard. _Of course… it all fits together! And I thought that life was full of mysteries, it turns out it's pretty much _my _life. And Aimee's, too, I suppose,_he thought.

"But this link is dangerous, too," Dumbledore continued gravely, his eyes now reflecting that he was about to say something that was not good, "This scroll was found in the hands of a Death Eater captured a week ago. Voldemort knows about it. He can use this knowledge against you, or he can kill you both when you're together"

Harry had the horrible feeling he knew whatDumbledorewas coming to. Could he possibly mean that they'd be…separated?

"I'm sorry" Dumbledore said quietly, "but it must be done"

"Get separated? Why?" Aimee asked quietly. Harry still couldn't talk.

"If he attacks Hogwarts then you'll be easy to kill" Dumbledore replied.

"No…" Aimee whispered, slumping down her seat.

"I'm afraid that you won't be able to go to the same schools anymore. Aimee will have to be sent to Beauxbatons" Dumbledore said quietly, his face now expressionless.

"All the way to Beauxbatons? Why that far?" Harry demanded angrily. Aimee was just staring at Dumbledore, a look of anger and sadness on her face.

"To make sure he isn't able to kill you when it is the final hour…" Dumbledore answered quietly.

"When?" Aimee asked suddenly, looking at Dumbledore intently, a frown on her face.

"The school's semester starts in a week. We'll take you to the train that will take you there" was his solemn answer.

"Damn it!" Harry slammed his fist on the table, glaring at Dumbledore.

"I have also hired a teacher for Aimee to give her Advanced Defense against the Dark Arts classes, and I will give them to you, starting this week, Harry" Dumbledore continued, then added, "We must prepare quite a lot. Sirius was telling me the other night he thought that you should become Animagi"

"Animagi?" Aimee said incredulosusly, forgetting her anger for a moment.

"You two and Ron and Hermione, as they can be in danger, too, for they are your best friends. With my and Sirius's help, you will be able to transform perfectly well by the time you're getting into your 7th year"

"That fast? It took the Marauders five years" Harry said, furrowing his eyebrows, forgetting his anger, too.

"You are forgetting that they started with no idea where to start, that they had to do it in secret, and that they had no help" Dumbledore said with a small twinkle in his blue eyes.

"So… how are we going to do it?" Aimee asked slowly.

"I will help you three here, and we will send the instructions to Aimee, but we will be doing all the potion-making and the spells. The hired instructor will be there to do the spells. It will be complicated, yes, but it can be done" Dumbledore said calmly.

"But what am I supposed to do in a country where I don't even speak the language?" Aimee brought the horrible topic of having to separate again.

"I have talked to the Ministry about this and they have agreed to send you a device that will help you understand the language. They are very rare, so take good care of it" Dumbledore warned.

"But- but…" Aimee couldn't describe what she wanted to say.

"She's famous. How are we supposed to keep Voldemort from finding out that she's there?" Harry flatly stated.

"There will be Aurors stationed around Beauxbatons just in case, in a village near it. As for the train, we will apparate to the train station. You may come to say your goodbyes" Dumbledore said. He knew they weren't liking what they were hearing.

Harry stood up suddenly, glaring angrily at Dumbledore. "_Fine_" He said roughly, then yanked Aimee out of her seat and stomped out of the office dragging her behind.

**A/N: Yes, I know you all hate mefor sending Aimee away on only on the second chapter. Though the third is going to be the week left, and the fourth… goodbye. If you didn't read the first part of the story then I guess you're pretty lost now, but I really do suggest you read it better late than never so you won't be lost the rest of the chapters. REVIEW!**


	3. Last Days

**A/N: Here we have chapter 3! It's not too late to read the prequel!**

Aimee was quietly gazing out the window when she was supposed to be doing her homework. The events of before just made her think. She still couldn't bring herself to believe that she was going to be separated… again. She had known her only alive family member for no more than three months, and they were now pushing them apart again. Without noticing, she wiped a dry tear with her hand from her face and frowned. More tears came rolling down.

Thinking this brought the sudden anger again. With fresh, new anger she hurled her history book across the girl's dormitory, which was, thankfully, empty. She hadn't wanted to do her homework in the common room. Aimee was too frustrated to have half the common room staring at her and the other asking her; "What's wrong, Aimee? Why are you crying?" only to answer 100 times; "nothing" and have more stupid questions asked.

She watched as the snow fell softly from the window. _Why the hell do I have to do my homework if I'm going away, anyway?_ She thought bitterly.

She remembered the look of pure anger on Harry's face for a split second, and knew that he was sulking in the boy's dormitory, too.

At this thought, she was enraged once again and she kicked her books off her bed roughly, missing one, which was punished by being thrown harder than the first, as it hit the wall with a great thud and a few pages were ripped out. They fell down slowly, flapping and finally resting next to the book. She recognized it as Potions. She smiled to herself in content anger.

She slipped off her bed, deciding to take a walk to the place she always went when she had to think: the Lake.

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The water was a crystal blue, sparkles appearing on it as the sun hit it. Even though the sun was out, there was still the snow, which gave Aimee a hard time finding a seat next to the lake. She stared at the water thoughtfully. She remembered when she talked to Sirius (actually, she didn't, Harry did, if you can call it talking) through the mirrors.

_FLASHBACK_

_Aimee was being dragged by her brother. Yes, literally dragged. Harry stomped up the stairs and into the Boy's dormitories, with Aimee still flying behind him. Without a word, he dropped to the floor next to his trunk. Aimee stood there blankly._

_He then wrenched a mirror out of the trunk, said; "Sirius Black" loudly and clearly, and waited for a bit. Aimee sat down next to him and saw Sirius's face appear on the mirror. _

"_WHY didn't you tell us?" Harry practically yelled into the mirror. _

"_Harry, Aimee… You've been told?" Sirius said slowly. When Harry only frowned at him, Aimee slowly nodded._

"_It's for your own good" Sirius continued before Harry could say a word._

"_Really? And exactly _how_ is being separated for the first 15 years of our life help?" asked Harry furiously. The truth was finally sinking in to Aimee, she was feeling her brother's anger perfectly well. _

"_Well, unless you don't count dropping dead whenever Aimee got mad, then I suppose it was useless!" Sirius snapped back, losing his temper._

"_For God's sake, Sirius, we've known even our EXISTENCE for no more than two months, and now you're ripping us apart again?" Aimee cried, tears stinging_ _her eyes._

"_It's for your own good!" Sirius glared at them._

"_Our own good, is it? I think we can manage to protect ourselves!" Harry yelled at the mirror._

"_That's why you're becoming Animagi!" Sirius said stubbornly._

"_There are _other _ways of getting killed or hurt" Aimee argued, blinking furiously._

"_I'm not discussing it, Aimee will go to Beauxbatons and that's _final_!" was the short answer, and then Sirius's face disappeared from the mirror. _

_With an exasperated "Dammit!" Harry got up and flung the mirror at his wall, where it cracked a bit, but did not break._

_Aimee could feel them coming. The tears. She ran from the room, down the stairs, and into the common room. Ron was coming up. She didn't even glance at him, not as Ron had tried to stop her to get information by flinging his arm out, but she just pushed away and hurried on. Hermione was saying; "Aimee? What's going on?" but Aimee didn't even look up. The same with Ginny. As Aimee ran up the stairs, people whispered on what was going on; first Harry storming in furiously, then yells, then Aimee running out crying? What was going on?_

_But Aimee just ran on, not caring. She didn't want to leave the palace of her dreams, the one she had dreamed of ever since she was eleven, and now they were making her leave it. _

_END FLASHBACK_

As the memory came back, her anger got hold of her again, and she started to cry, hard. She balled herself into that little frightened girl she used to be, the small girl that had no family. She sobbed into her knees, drawing them up to her chest, hugging them hard. She'd just have to accept it. She was going away and never coming back to Hogwarts. She was going to leave this wonderful place for another that she knew nothing of, in which she had no friends, in which she didn't speak the language.

Aimee cried. A big hole in her stomach was forming. _Why do they have to send me away?_She thought bitterly. _But at least I'll see them again. I'll see Harry, Hermione, and Ron and Ginny in the summer, and it'll be better. It _will_ get better. I know it._

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The rest of the week was passing horribly fast. People had heard that Aimee was going away and soon her trunk was packed and she still had the 'We'll miss you!' cards, which she had no idea how to take them. She still hadn't read them all. Hermione had even organized a Good-bye Party in the common room for her, and it ad gone perfectly well, even the part in which Aimee cried a bit because she said she was going to miss them so much (Ginny made her do a speech). That got her feelings going. Even though she laughed and made fun of herself for crying stupidly, she really did mean it. She was going to miss Hogwarts- a lot.

And so it was the day before she left, and she and Harry were spending some quality time together, enjoying their lasts moments as the 'Potter twins'. You're not a twin unless you have your better half next to you.

That was how they had spent all their lives. Not even knowing of each other's existence. But this time they did have something- the knowledge. If there was an emergency then Aimee would go back to Hogwarts, ad she had the content thought of knowing that she's always going back to her family.

**A/N: Well, what do you think? Liked it? Hated it? Maybe, yes, no, a little, too much?**

**The next chapter is when Aimee leaves- the Goodbye train. Don't worry, she'll be strong. I'm at a boarding school and I know I've been strong. If I can then Aimee can, too.**


	4. Goodbye Train

**A/N: Well, here we are. Aimee's leaving. sob Hope you get the feelings in this chapter!**

With a deep sigh, Aimee looked up at the bright blue train taking her away. Wearing her new Beauxbatons uniform (dark blue and silver), she turned her back to it and to the people that were accompanying her. There was Harry, looking at her intently, a saddened look on his face. Next to him was Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.

"We really are gonna miss you" Ginny said softly, a small smile on her face.

"Thank you" Aimee said quietly, looking down. _I will be strong. I'm not going to cry._ She thought, and felt newfound strength in her heart. There, standing solemnly between the teens, was a big black dog with silver-gray eyes. Way behind, leaving them to say their goodbyes, was Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Mad-eye Moody (for protection, of course), and Tonks. She had already said goodbye to them.

Silently, Harry and Ron picked up her trunk with a great heave and all five of them, plus Sirius, managed to squeeze in the train to find Aimee an empty compartment, even with all the French-speaking students talking excitedly to their friends about their vacations.

"Here's one" Ginny said as they finally found an empty compartement. They all headed outside after throwing the trunk in hastily, the part Aimee dreaded the most.

With a soft sniff, she threw her arms around her brother, burying her face in his shoulder, trying hard to not sob all over him.

It seemed an eternity and a second as they hugged each other tightly, fearing for one another, hoping the other would be safe in the separate schools. Aimee took a deep breath and let go of her brother. He took her by the shoulders, and told her with, his eyes reflecting his almost-reaching manhood, "You'll be alright. I know it."

She didn't respond. She didn't need to. It was a queer feeling, as they both knew Harry's statement was true.

Aimee proceed to Ron, hugged him, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and then went to Hermione, who looked like she was trying _very _hard not to start crying.

"Take care, Aimee. Promise me you will" Hermione said, concern in her eyes.

"I promise" Aimee said, and the two girls that had grown to be best friends hugged again. When they finally let go, Ginny was waiting for her turn. She embraced her like a sister.

"You better be dating him when I get back" Aimee whispered in Ginny's ear as they let go, and Ginny looked at her as if to say "What do you mean?", and yet Aimee knew Ginny knew what she meant.

Then there was Sirius. He almost knocked her over, as he reared on his hind legs (people stared) and placed his paws forcefully on Aimee's shoulders, panting like a puppy playing on a hot day, his tail wagging. He then gave Aimee a great _Slurp _on her cheek, she laughed and placed her hands on the great dog's shoulders to push him away. Sirius hopped backed down on the ground, satisfied with his good-bye.

There was a shrill whistle, motioning to the students to hurry up. Harry and Aimee embraced each other quickly again.

"I'll miss you" they both said quietly to each other at the same time.

The whistle came again, and Aimee quickly jumped on the, standing at the door and waving at them.

"Bye, Aimee! We'll miss you!" Ginny called out, waving. The black dog was running along the train (**Anyone got Dejá Vu?**), running to keep up with Aimee, she was laughing. His panting told her he'd miss her, she saw as Harry motioned to the others and the four of them started running, too, waving at Aimee. This made her smile again, and she waved back.

The train turned a corner and they all disappeared (Sirius nearly crashed into a dustbin but stopped himself just in time).

"Good-bye…" Aimee whispered, staring at the spot she had seen them seconds before. She turned away sadly, and down the corridor, searching for her compartment.

When she finally found the one Ron and Harry had put her trunk in, she sat down with a _flump_ on the cushioned seats and stared out the window. She heard the voices of the students talking outside, the opening and closing of the compartments, and wished more than ever that she was back at Hogwarts.

Just as suddenly, her compartment door slid open, and standing there was a pretty girl about Aimee's age. She had tanned golden-brown skin, dark brown hair that curled beautifully into perfect locks, and big brown eyes. Her lips were extremely thick, and Aimee thought of one of her favorite Muggle actors, Angelina Jolie. They both had the same kind of lips. Aimee had the impression that this girl must live somewhere sunny, since the blond-ish highlights she had twisting here and there looked natural.

Behind her was a boy a bit taller than Aimee, with light brown hair and dark bluish-green eyes. They almost looked brown. His hair fell into his eyes and Aimee was reminded strongly of Remus, for some reason, even though she had never even _met _Remus. But she had read about him. Aimee thought he was actually quite good-looking. There was also a slightly shorter boy with light reddish-brown curly hair and blue eyes. His eyes had a mischievious glint to them, and he had a grin on his face, giving him, in total, a rebel-like appearance They were all looking at her curiously.

"_Salut_," the girl in front said in French. "_Je m'appelle Adelaide. Lui, il est Charlie_," here she pointed at the boy with the brown hair, "_et il est Benjamin_" she pointed at the other boy. "_Tu es nouvelle_?" She asked Aimee, who was completely lost, and didn't know what to say.

"_Je pense pas qui elle parle anglais…_" The brown-haired boy told the girl, frowning. He looked strangely at Aimee.

"Uh… I don't speak French" Aimee said uncertainly, praying that one of them spoke English.

"You don't?" The girl said, with a strong French accent on her English. "Sorry about that. Well, what I was saying is that I'm Adelaide, he's Charlie (from England, too, you know), and that's Benjamin" Again she pointed first at the brown-haired boy and then to the curly-haired short boy.

"Um, I'm Aimee" she said shyly. She didn't think there was a need to say her last name. They were gonna find out somehow, anyway.

"Nice to meet you, Aimee" Adelaide said with a kind smile. "Charlie here also speaks English, but Benji's still learning. Well, We wanted to ask… can we sit here?" She went on.

"Oh! Sure" Aimee said, wondering why she hadn't told them that they could before.

"So you're new?" Charlie began as he started shoving his trunk on the rack. He had an English accent, as any other English person would.

"Yeah… I changed from Hogwarts" answered Aimee.

"From Hogwarts? Why?" Adelaide asked as Charlie helped her put her trunk in the rack. Benjamin had already heaved his on the rack, and Aimee was surprised to see he was quite strong for someone shorter than herself.

"Some… problems" Aimee said, searching her mind for a random explanation. She ran her hand through her hair, hoping that she could think of a small white lie.

They got the hint.

"So… tell me about yourselves" Aimee said, hoping to change the subject.

"Well, Benji here is the genius. He's the human encyclopedia of the school. Adelaide and I get good grades, but Benji tops us by far" Charlie said, chuckling.

"_Oui, Oui_" Benjamin (called Benji, Aimee realized) said knowingly. Adelaide rolled her eyes, since Benji didn't know what they were talking about anyway.

"I love Quidditch. I could play it all day!" Adelaide said, giving Aimee a smile that said plainly she had done so one day.

"We're both on the school team. Benjamin's afraid of heights, so all he does is sit on the stands. Although he's on the Track Team. Beauxbatons also has a few muggle sports and classes. The basic, pretty much. So, do you like Quidditch?" Charlie asked her.

"Well, I got on a broom once with my brother, but I haven't played it. I'm not interested much in Quidditch" Aimee shrugged. She remembered last Christmas, in which Harry suddenly realized Aimee had never gotten on a broom, and had taken out his Firebolt, borrowed Ron's broom, plopped Aimee on it, and the lesson began. It had gone pretty good.

"You should try out next year. Maybe you'll like it!" Adelaide said enthusiastically. Aimee blushed.

"I don't know… I'll probably fall off or something!" She said.

"Maybe you will or maybe you won't" Charlie said with an evil grin. "I suppose you don't have a broom, but you can have a try on mine. We'll teach you. After all, half the team's graduating this year, as they're all 7th years, and it'll only be me, Adelaide, and another boy who's in his 6th year"

"And we really need a girl on the team, every single practice I'm stuck with guys!" Adelaide groaned.

"Benji's planning something evil again…" Charlie cut in suddenly in a weary voice, but he was grinning.

"You see, Benji is a genius, but an _evil _genius, nonetheless" Adelaide joked. "He's always making up pranks"

"Who knows where he keeps all that creation" Charlie laughed.

"And the black hole in his bag…" Adelaide added, biting her lip as she tried not to laugh.

It seemed so, Aimee saw Benji was had taken a transparent balloon that contained a green something that looked horribly like paint. He was now tying it to a string that went over a pully that looked like the things you roll yarn in, then passed it over to the handle and tied it there. He then took a very sharp pencil out of his bag and after murmuring and encantation, the pencil grew bigger and pointier. He put a sticking charm to it and pasted it to the wall, right below the balloon… and Aimee realized Benji's work of art.

"Oh, he is evil!" Aimee laughed. Benji sat down again, grinned at Aimee as if to say 'and that's only and example!', and waited for someone to open the door.

"Ooh, I hope it's Jean-Pierre… or his girlfriend. That would be so cool" Adelaide said hopefully.

"Who're they?" Aimee asked.

"This guy who is absolutely full of himself. Just because he's good-looking doesn't mean he's the king of the world. And his girlfriend, Marianna, is just pure nasty!" Adelaide shuddered. Aimee was reminded of Malfoy when he was younger.

"What do they do to you, or why do you hate them so much?" Aimee asked again curiously.

"Jean-Pierre hexes everyone he thinks is a 'loser'. As if he were one to decide that… His most hated enemies are these two" Adelaide motioned to Charlie and Benji, who were now discussing their next prank in French. "Since they're the school clowns, you'd say. If you ask me, he hates them because they take away half his so-called popularity" Adelaide added, giving Aimee a grin.

"Ah, jealousy!" Aimee said dramatically, as if it were a matter of two five-year-olds, one which has an ice cream and the other doesn't.

"_Viola! C'est fini!_" Benji cried suddenly in an exaggerated way. (**Some things I will translate so you get the joke or whatever the person is saying, some no since Aimee not supposed to understand anyway, so here goes what Benji just said: **Voila, it's finished

"What's finished?" Adelaide asked wearily, rolling her eyes.

"Our evil plan!" Charlie said, grinning like Dracula would when he was about to attack (or more like Steve Martins in 'Cheaper By the Dozen' when the mom goes away), and waved his arms around dangerously that Benji had to duck to avoid being smacked on the face by his hand.

"What evil plan?" Aimee asked, raising her eyebrows.

"The prank celebrating New Year's…" Charlie answered as if it were the most obvious thing. "But no worry, no harm shall be done… except to unsuspecting Jean-Pierres" at this he gave them all a very scary grin.

"Muahahahaha!" Benji added dramatically.

"Whatever…"Adelaide said. Then… the door slid open, making the string run through the pully-thingy, the balloon went down, was poked by the pencil, and the green paint came splattering down with a sickening _Flurp_!

**A/N: Well? Whaddaya think? Like Benji's evilness? Some people might think I took the Golden Trio's physical appearances and personalities and mixed them… but that's not true. Aimee's new friends are gonna be kinda like the Mauraders. **

**As I said in my small author's note in the chapter (just so you know, author's notes in the middle of the story are in parenthesis and in bold), sometimes I'll translate the French so you can understand (if you do speak French, well, good, and if you don't, then since it's kinda from Aimee's point of view and she doesn't understand so it's perfectly fine!) it, and sometimes I won't so you know what Aimee's feelings are anyway. **

**As for the also-french-speaking people here, if I make a mistake, tell me (I'm still learning, you know!) so I can correct it. I can't pretend I know the language perfectly well. I speak French well, but I still need to improve.**

**Whew! Long Chapter!**

**REVIEW!**


	5. Arrival at BeauxBatons

**A/N: Hey, ya'll! We get to know what happened with Benji's prank! Enjoy!**

_SPLAT_! The balloon popped and the green paint came trashing down… but not on somebody's head. Behind, safely away from the green paint, was a girl that looked exactly like Adelaide, but looked to be about 14 years old. She was grinning, her wand out, she had obviously opened the compartment door by magic.

"_Mérde, Paola! __Qu'est que tu as fait?_" Benji cried angrily, glaring at the girl. She had also curly black hair, Adelaide's big, brown eyes, and the tanned skin. (**Damn it, Paola! What did you do?**)

"_Je pense que tu as fait quelquechose comme ça_" The girl answered, stepping over the green splotch on the floor. With a wave of her wand and _Scourgify!_ she cleaned up the mess. (**I thought you had done something like that).**

"Aimee, this is my younger sister, Paola" Adelaide cut in, smiling sweetly at Benji since his work of art had been ruined.

"Hi!" Paola smiled.

"Hello, I'm Aimee" she introduced herself. "Although, you two speak English pretty well… How many languages do you speak?" Aimee asked.

"Five" Paola answered, grinning.

"Whoa!" Aimee cried, surprised.

"I only speak English, French, and Spanish" Adelaide shrugged.

"_Only_?"

"Well, our mom is Mexican, our dad Italian, and Dad's Grandparents are from Germany. But since we live here in France… and our parents thought English might be useful, too." Paola said.

"So you speak English, French, Spanish, Italian _and _German?" Aimee asked incredously.

"Yup!"

"Plus Paola's learning Russian!" Adelaide added.

"Never figured out how they did that" Charlie shrugged. "Learning them all in the short span of 13 years, I mean"

"_Oui, mais, qoui de mon oeuvre d'art, eh_?" Benji interrupted. (**Yeah, but what about my work of art, huh?**)

"_Tais-toi, Benji_" Adelaide snapped, giving Benji a small glance and continuing the conversation. (**Be quiet, Benji**) Benjamin opened and closed his mouth, apparently lost for words. Guess it seems like his train ride wasn't a nice one (Why, you ask? Well, for one thing, his first prank was ruined, he was left out of conversation, and now they're telling him to shut up. But his second prank was gonna be better planned…). He glared at Adelaide, then turned around and started talking to Charlie, who was glad he had been left out of the conversation since he wasn't interested in girly things, as any other normal guy. Every once in a while they sneaked a look at the girls. Soon it was 3.00 and the train had arrived.

"Wow, already?" Aimee asked surprised. "The Hogwarts train usually takes all day"

"The Beauxbatons usually takes all morning and a bit of the afternoon" Charlie said.

"By that time, he's so hungry he'd eat anything" Adelaide whispered in Aimee's ear, nodding in Charlie's direction. And both of them burst into giggles.

"What?" Charlie asked them sharply, frowning curiously.

"Nothing" Aimee answered innocently.

"Well, come on, I'm starving!" He added on a lighter tone. At this, the two girls burst out laughing.

"_What_?" Charlie cried exasperated, eyeing them angrily.

"Oh, nothing, nothing. Don't you trouble your poor hungry self!" Aimee said sweetly, and she and Adelaide went past him, giggling like a couple of maniacs.

"Women…" Charlie hissed under his breath as he followed them to the School Entrance. Benji was already in front of the three, being hungry himself. Paola, on the other hand, had left the compartment earlier and gone back to her three friends, although Benji had been glancing at Paola's group of friends from time to time.

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"Whoa…" Aimee whispered as she got her first sight of the castle. Yes, it was smaller than Hogwarts, but still beautiful. The Beauxbatons Castle looked more like a fairy-tale one, with tall towers popping out here and there.

Suddenly, there were a few screams; Aimee whirled around as she just saw a white-hot spell hit Charlie on the side of the face, him having moved to prevent it from hitting him full-faced. He cursed, and pulled his wand out quickly and furiously said a spell under his breath; it erupted from his wand and was directed straight to another boy his age, who was laughing. He was a hot-looking guy, with straight, blond hair that was a bit long. He yelled a quick _Protego _and blocked Charlie's spell, Charlie fired another one and-

"ARRETEZ!" A teacher screeched, her robes swishing dangerously behind her. She eyed the two boys wearily. Then she said something in French to each of them, and Aimee saw Charlie glare at her darkly. Although the teacher's intervention had distracted the other boy and he had been thrown backward. He picked himself off the ground, and a very pretty girl was now hurrying towards him.

The teacher was now scolding them. Aimee was completely lost by now, and gave up trying to understand. Adelaide, next to her, looked absolutely furious, and Benji had whipped out his wand and was now pocketing it disappointedly.

The teacher finally finished her preaching, turned around, and whipped out of sight in the castle, blood was dripping down from Charlie's cut on his cheek, but he didn't seem to notice as he was muttering darkly.

"What happened?" Aimee demanded as soon as the teacher disappeared.

"That damn Jean-Pierre… trying to catch me off guard… And she gave me detention, too!" Charlie hissed angrily.

"Wow... He just attacked you like that? And I though Malloy and Ha- I mean my brother hated each other…" Aimee said, shaking her head, hoping her mistake didn't sound too obvious.

The pretty girl was now crooning all over Jean-Pierre, kissing him and stroking his hair. She had straight blond hair, a few light-brown highlights here and there, and dark blue eyes, which reminded Aimee strongly of the popular girls at her previous orphanage. She supposed this was Marianna.

"You have a brother?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah, he and this guy named Draco Malfoy hated each other. Although I think the hate between you two is stronger, nodding towards Jean-Pierre.

"It's always been like that, it's always the teachers trying to break them apart. It's dangerous being in the same room both of them are in" Adelaide said.

Benji muttered something darkly, and Charlie laughed.

"Hang on…" Aimee said, grabbing Charlie's arm, pointing her wand at his face and saying a spell. The cut healed instantly, being a useful spell Harry had taught her.

"Ah… oh, thanks" Charlie said touching his cheek where the cut had been. Aimee could have sworn there was actually a rosy tint on his cheeks, but maybe it was just the still-not-dry blood.

Once they arrived (finally), they ate lunch (peacefully), and talked about themselves. Then, the Headmistress stood up to make an announcement. She said something in French, and the Aimee thought, horribly… _What if she says I'm Aimee POTTER? Then they'll all be exactly as they behaved with my brother! No, no, Please, Madame… uh, hmm, what was her name?_

And Aimee's nightmare came true- She recognized her name being said. There was a horrible quiet in the huge room in which they were eating lunch, Madame Maxime smiled warmly at her direction and kept talking, completely oblivious that nobody was listening to her anymore. She could feel a million stares bearing into her, as she sat there, her face reddening with every second. After a good 10 seconds, she could hear the whispers repeating her name and some young students pointed at her. All she wanted to do just then was sink under the table and be swallowed by the ground. She finlly plucked up her courge and looked up.

Adelaide was staring at her, her face expressionless. Charlie was gaping at her, his mouth partially open. He suddenly seemed a bit insecure. And Benji was grinning at her.

"You know, you could have mentioned that tiny detail earlier" Adelaide said, frowning, looking a bit taken aback.

"I didn't want to attract attention!" Aimee hissed. Her cheeks were completely flushing by now. She was now seeing the aftermath of discovering she was famous… At Hogwarts, since they had already known her her for a month or so before finding out who she was, and she had stayed for two more months after, they treated her normally. The students saw her as a friend, as they saw Harry, as the clumsy girl (especially in Herbology) who just happened to be Harry Potter's twin sister. Would Adelaide, Charlie, and Benji change their behavior now?

"But you could've told us!" Adelaide said, spearing her potatoes with her fork in hope of killing them (though there was no need, they were never alive). Benji was saying somethingxcitedly in French to her, Charlie hadn't said anything.

At this Benji grabbed Aimee's right hand and looked at it closely. "_Oui, c'est vrai_!" He said when he found the lightning-shaped scar on her forearm.

The Headmistress sat down again. Aimee assumed she had finished with her speech. As they trudged up to their rooms to rest (It was only 4.00, but still, it had been a tiring day), Madame Maxime suddenly called upon Aimee.

"Miss Potter, I would like you to come to my office now, please. I have some things to speak to you about" Madame Maxime said, speaking in English.

"Don't worry, we'll wait for you. You don't know where your room is anyway" Adelaide quickly told her Aimee started walking towards Madame Maxime.

With a last look back them; she turned around the corer with Madame Maxime to her office, getting a tour of Beauxbatons on the way.

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Once settled in the Headmistress's office, Madame Maxime handed her the schedule.

"As you notice, most of your classes are Defense against the Dark Arts. We have removed the not-so important subjects such as History of Magic and Herbology. You will be taking classes that will help you combat You-know-Who with your brother, and his schedule has had the same alterations as yours. Dumbledore himself asked me to do this. You will have a tutorial Teacher, his name is Professor Montgomery. He speaks English, too" Madame Maxime said. Then she continued:

"Second; about your potion-taking for the Animagi… Professor Montgomery is an Animagus, too, so he'll be able to help you. Daily potions to become Animagi will be sent to you every morning, you will say it's medicine if anyone asks. Your excuse will be that you have very delicate lungs. The spells needed to become Animagi will be performed by Professor Montgomery. Becoming one usually takes 7 months, give or take, if you do it right, so before coming back for your 7th year you will be able to transform. I don't want _any_ abuse for this power, Miss Potter. I believe you have started?" She looked at Aimee suspiciously.

"Yes, Madame Maxime, two days ago" Aimee said. And the potion tasted nasty, she had to drink it twice a day, breakfast and dinner.

"And third… this is very important, Miss Potter, so listen closely; This," She pulled a golden chain from out of her desk drawer that had a golden Medallion dangling from it with strange writing on it, "is a translator. They're very rare, I've heard there are only 14 in the world, and Dumbledore had special permission from the Ministry of Magic to get one for you. You will wear it for your lessons. It helps you understand French, so you will have no trouble at all understanding. You will have it until you understand the French language completely" Madame Maxime finished, handing her the necklace gingerly. Aimee took it and put it around her neck, tucking the Medallion into her robes, then flipping her black wavy her back, so that the golden chain was hidden under her hair.

"Have you understood everything?" Madame Maxime asked her.

"Yes, Madame" Aimee answered.

"Good. Let's test it… Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Aimee felt the change of language after her pause, and found she understood every single word.

"Yes"

"Good, good. Now, I believe your friends are waiting for you, so you may go" was the giant Headmistress's answer.

Aimee got up and walked to the door, opened it and said before walking out: "Thank you, Madame"

**A/N: Long, boring Chapter, I know. Just review, please!**


	6. History Lesson by Adelaide

**A/N: Here is your sixth chappy! Hope it's actually interesting, though. **

As Aimee exited the office with happiness, she realized, her smiling sliding right off, that she had no idea where exactly Adelaide, Charlie and Benji would be waiting. She hadn't really bothered to memorize the way, and even though she could understand French, she couldn't really speak it.

She began walking tentatively towards the hallway she remembered she had come through, but realized that there were two ways to go from there. She took a random right, hoping to be on the right track, but found that it steered towards the grounds. She went back and tried left. She began to get desperate as she decided to go random ways, as she knew they weren't going to be patient for long…

"Oh! Sorry!" Aimee cried as she bumped into someone when she turned around the corner. She was almost knocked down, and she found she had bumped into a boy who looked to be 17. He had blond, spiked-up hair, and brown eyes.

"Sorry…" he was saying in French… and looked at her face. He stared. Aimee had no idea what to do or say, and she stared back hesitantly.

"You're Aimee Potter!" He finally cried in English, looking at her incredously.

"Y-yes" she answered, hoping his reaction wasn't too dramatic. _Thanks for the obvious hint there, pal_, she thought sarcastically.

"Well, I'm Julien… I'm in my seventh year."

"Hi" Aimee said uncertainly.

"You lost?" Julien asked, grinning.

"Er… yeah"

He laughed. "Thought so, since you are new. Where are you trying to go?"

"That place where we ate lunch… I'm not sure what it's called"

"Right. It's the Grand Salle. I'll take you there" He said, leading her to a corridor on their left.

"Thanks" Aimee said shyly.

"No problem" He answered. Soon they were entering the Grand Salle. "Here it is… Nice meeting you, Aimee."

"Yeah, see you later" Aimee called after him as he was climbing the stairs leading upstairs (Duh). He turned and waved.

"Aimee! What took you so long?" She could hear Adelaide's voice echoing across the large cafeteria. She turned to see Adelaide waking over to her, Benji behind her, and Charlie last.

"I got lost" Aimee said honestly.

"Should've known…." Adelaide said, pursing her lips. "We should have waited next to the office… oh, well"

"Let's go to the Common room… And I shall release my next piece of art!" Benji said from behind her.

"What did Madame Maxime want?" Adelaide asked her, ignoring Benjamin.

"To give me my schedule, and she gave me this thingy so I can understand French, although it doesn't help at all with the talking…" She took out her medallion out from of her uniform's white shirt.

Adelaide took it in her hands and looked at it closely.

"Wow… these are really rare" She said quietly. Benji was peeking curiously at it from behind Adelaide. Charlie was now arriving.

"I wanna go to the Common Room!" Benji repeated eagerly, but still he stared at Aimee's medallion with his head cocked to one side. Charlie was quietly and strangely watching her. Aimee looked up and met Charlie's eyes. He hastily looked away. Although something about the way he looked at her was strange… what had she seen flashing in his eyes…?

Adelaide was now trying to pipe down Benji, and she finally said; "Fine… let's go to the Common Room" Benji grinned mischievously, Aimee had the impression he was planning something for the first day back to school.

Benji led the way, up the stairs and hallways and stuff. Aimee didn't memorize it all. Finally they entered through a door which led to what Aimee supposed was the common room. It was packed with chatting students, talking and sharing their holiday gossip.

It was a very comfy-looking room, large and cozy, like the Gryffindor Common Room. As Aimee had a look around, she noticed many people staring at her. She ignored them.

"Come on… I'll lead you to the Girl's Dormitories. All our stuff must be there by now" Adelaide said, grabbing Aimee's arm and dragging her to a door on their left, flipped her curls back off her face, and left the two boys behind.

"Whoa…" Aimee said, looking around as they entered. It was actually bigger than the Girl's Dormitory back at Hogwarts. Just a bit, but still. It _was_ bigger. Her trunk was already placed next to a bed on the far side of the room.

"Thank God" Adelaide said as she saw her trunk. She plopped on the bed next to Aimee's.

"So… how is it here in Beauxbatons? Tell me about it" Aimee asked, wanting to know more about her new school.

"Well, it's divided in three groups, although, as I've heard, it has nothing to do with Hogwarts's sorting. The first year you don't have a House, since the teacher's are observing your behavior and stuff. They usually put friends together, though, in the second year. They put you in each house depending on who your friends are, how you behave, your personality, those kinds of things. I think they do the grouping with the students that will get along the best, even the age difference of the older students. I suppose you'll be in our group, since I guess we get along" Adelaide smiled at Aimee.

"Do they have, um, any names or such?" Aimee asked.

"Yeah, after the three founders of the school; Arnaud Brock, Catherine Diablére, and Eugene Fronté. We are in Catherine Diablére's house. There's also this huge history on them, it's so interesting, too bad we don't see those things in History of Magic" Adelaide offered. "It used to be my favorite bedtime story, I remember"

"Sure" Aimee said. She actually liked History, if it wasn't too boring, unlike the subject back at Hogwarts. It was _so_ boring. She always had wanted to learn Hogwart's History, and that's why she got the book from Hermione on Christmas. Aimee walked over to Adelaide's bed and sat down. Adelaide began with her story.

"Well, as the legend goes, there once lived a beautiful girl… Her name was Catherine Diablére. She had lots of friends, but her two best friends were Arnaud Brock and Eugene Fronté. The two boys were cousins, and got along pretty well. They grew up together, as best friends, sharing their childhood and later on, their teenage years. They were the happiest trio you would have ever seen. Arnaud was popular among the girls; he was good-looking and very good at Quidditch. He was intelligent, and any girl's dream.

Eugene was, on the other hand, quite the opposite. He was a quiet boy, intelligent, too, with a kind and sweet character, and also handsome. He was very good with magic, knowing every single spell there was to know, and very observant, too.

She was kind, with a gentle nature, yet she could be mischievous when she wanted. They decided to set up a school, and share their knowledge with France. They hired teachers, and built the castle. Even though they were still quite young, they were the brightest threesome you'd ever meet.

And soon, it was Catherine's 25th birthday… she had grown to be a beautiful young woman, ready to love and be loved..." Adelaide was saying. Aimee was now so interested, leaning forward, listening. This story was so much better than a history lesson at Hogwarts _anytime_.

"Eugene was planning to propose to her that very day. He had fallen deeply in love with her, he saw that she was kind with the students, the teachers… everyone. He knew her best. Little did he know that Arnaud had fallen in love with her, too. Arnaud and Catherine had been meeting secretly in the forest. They say they met in a cave, deep into the forest, that acted as a small room. No one has found it… it's still a secret where it is. Some say that they had enchanted it so only they would see it. But nobody knows…" Adelaide added. Both girls laughed at Adelaide's excessive scary-story-ness of it all.

"Oooh!" Aimee hooted, sounding like a ghost, joking about Adelaide's exaggerated way of telling a story. She giggled and cried: "Oh, no! A ghost!" They both sniggered, but soon the story was continued.

"Anyway, as Eugene was walking to Catherine to propose, he saw them. He saw Arnaud kneeling in front of Catherine, offering her a ring with a black diamond on it. He hid behind a nearby tree, and heard as Arnaud asked her if she would be his wife. And she said yes.

Eugene was heartbroken. And soon, the day of the wedding arrived. The whole school was there, even poor Eugene. He had fallen into depression. When the priest said; 'Speak now or be quiet forever', or whatever you say, Eugene stood up and shouted 'I disagree!' It was all quiet. Catherine was surprised, and looked at Eugene confused.

Eugene said he loved her; he didn't want her to marry him. There was a huge duel between him and Arnaud. Eugene was winning, as he knew more magic. Catherine begged them to stop, but they wouldn't listen to her. The battle would end in death. Then, both men shouted the killing curse, aiming it at each other…" Here Adelaide stopped to cause suspense.

"Keep going!" Aimee urged, jumping on Adelaide's bed, making her wavy black hair bounce up and down. "You're making me nervous!"

Adelaide grinned. "But Catherine jumped in the middle of the battle, in the middle of the two of them, in the middle of the two killing courses. The two killing courses hit her, instead of each other. She died..." Adelaide continued. There was a kind of sad smile on her face. "I used to always ask my mom why she had done that. She said because she loved them both more than life itself"

"Oh…" Aimee said. "What happened next?"

"Both men were furious, devastated. They couldn't believe they had killed her. Eugene just backed up, he wouldn't touch her. And he apparated. He couldn't stand it, having killed what he lived for. He disappeared for 10 years… 10 long years. Arnaud ran to his would-be wife, sobbing, begging to bring her back. He vowed vengeance, but Eugene had gone.

Arnaud stayed at Beauxbatons, teaching, as he knew that it was what Catherine would want him to do. Ten years later, Eugene showed up. He had also vowed vengeance, as each thought it was the other that had killed her. He carried hate and sadness in his heart… as Arnaud. They battled once again. But Eugene had become even more powerful, he had experimented, had become something more… he knew Dark Magic, all that there was to know. He had invented a spell that created monsters that you wouldn't believe existed… that you couldn't even imagine… that you hope you'd never see again" Adelaide's voice had gone down to a whisper for more suspense, and Aimee had to lean forward to be able to hear.

"Eugene performed the spell… and out of his wand came the most hideous monsters you'd ever imagine. They were huge, with the ugliest face you can ever imagine. They say that they would only follow orders from a parseltongue. That they could see you only if you moved, that their screech could break even the thickest glass…

Eugene didn't speak parseltongue, so he couldn't control them. The monsters started attacking all the students and teachers inside the school, killing them. All hope was lost… But then, out of the rain, through the clouds, you could see a bright light. It was coming down, onto the castle. Then, a strong, woman's voice said: 'Do not fight'. It was Catherine! You could see, if you looked long enough, the outline of a beautiful woman. She began illuminating the monsters with her light, one by one, and sending them under the earth, to the lake under the school. Then, after an hour, all there was left was a destroyed school, and water flooding the first floors. And the mysterious light that was emitting from the angel that this was all caused" Adelaide said. Aimee could see the story was ending…

"The light shone itself on the destroyed school, and instantly it was rebuilt to its original glory. Eugene died of a broken heart, Arnaud, of one of the monster's poison. Their claws pierced into his body and inserted poison into him; he was dead within a week. But no one forgot… The beauty of the angel who saved them" Adelaide finished.

"Wow…" Aimee breathed. "That's it?"

"That's how the legend goes" was the cheerful reply.

BANG!

"Oh, Come on!" Adelaide cried angrily, "That better not have been Benji, or I'm killing him!"

**A/N: Aaaand… Done! Finally! I finished the sixth chapter!**

**Now… Well, I thought a nice history of Beauxbatons ought to fill in the page-and-a-half missing… instead I got too carried away. Well, and by the time I realized it was too long, I decided to leave it since, well, it _was_ kinda interesting. And Adelaide is a good story-teller. I like telling short stories through other people.**

**Many people have told me via review (plus my roomy), that they like Charlie. Yeah, me too, haha. I dunno, I see him kind of like as a mixture of Remus, James, and Sirius. So I really like the character of Charlie. He's a likable person. The way I imagine him… I wanna hug him. And Benji, too. I like his name. And his evil genius-ness. And Adelaide's so nice and pretty. She'll be a good friend. **


	7. Free him

**A/N: Moving on to chapter 7… **

**I thank you all for the reviews, even though since the 5th chapter I've only gotten 3 reviews, but 2 of which were nice and long. And why the bloody hell does everyone think I'm pairing up Aimee and Charlie, HUH! Sheesh…**

**About the History of Beauxbatons, that was SPONTANEOUS, sheesh. You people think those damn monsters are gonna hop out of the earth and start eating people or something…**

Monsieur Montgomery turned out to be a good tutor. He was quite patient, actually. Considering the fact that Aimee was a bit… clumsy. He was a man of around forty or fifty years old, a bit on the chubby side, with black and white hair that reminded Aimee strongly of Cruella De Vil's hairdo, and blue eyes. Yet it stuck out like Albert Einstein's hair.

On their first lesson he had asked Aimee a long questionnaire of how she was doing on her animagus becoming and her Defense Against the Dark Arts experience. He transformed into his own Animagus form (an owl) to show her how it was done. And he performed on her the first spell to able to transform. Every ten days a different spell had to be performed on her.

The spell was a bit painful, like being ripped from her body and falling into darkness, but then she would see an animal, bringing warmness. She supposed this was the animal she was turning to. It was blurry, and too bright to see, but her tutor assured her that with every spell she would see it more clearly, the brightness would fade and she would know what she would turn into. Then she'd wake up and find out she passed out.

She couldn't decide whether she liked it or not because she was anxious to see what that animal was, to stretch her hand and touch it… but it would fade away and she'd find herself on the floor and Monsieur Montgomery standing over her offering her a hand to help her up.

And it was _bloody _annoying! Then there were the Apparating lessons… _Well_, Aimee thought bitterly, _At least I know what the meaning of 'painful' is if I splinch myself_… It couldn't be more painful than the spells she was being put through, could it? _I hope not_, Aimee thought.

She had met the students her age in her house the next day. On the girls' side, there was herself, Adelaide, and three more girls whose names were Corinne, Gaelle, and Sophie. All three were very good friends.

Corinne was a calm girl with a sweet, gentle voice, of a kind nature, and was very serious about her studies. Aimee had found Gaelle quite strange; she was a girl that reminded her strongly of Luna. Her dressing was weird, she liked to stand out of the crowd, not the 'boring blue' that they wore everyday, as she called it. Her behavior also included strange craving for different-colored ink. And Sophie was a playful, cute girl who was quite sporty, but not very fond of heights, which was not good as she could have been in the Quidditch team.

On the boy's side, there was, of course, Benji and Charlie, and four more boys; Arthur, David, Jean, and Jacques, whom were very good friends. Arthur was funny and a bit perverted, but hot nonetheless, with his curly dirty-blond hair and playful grin. David was a quiet, cute boy with black hair and dark eyes, and Jean and Jacques were playful twins, both with a very light color of dirty-blond hair and grinning faces. And quite hot, too, may I add. It was quite creepy when they finished each other's sentences. Aimee and Harry sometimes did that, but not as much as them. They were very nice to Aimee, since she also happened to be a twin, but her twin just wasn't there.

Jean's girlfriend was Corinne. David also had a girlfriend, but in another house, the one of Eugene. She was a pretty girl named Alexandra. She, unfortunately, was a typical blonde bimbo.

And Sirius had been visiting her, too. He would apparate to France, to the village a few miles off BeauxBatons, the trot in dog form to the school, and come in by a secret entrance, by permission by Dumbledore. There would be an invisibility spell placed on him before he went just in case. He had somehow convinced Madame Maxime to make this entrance that would only give entrance to the big black dog; he had convinced her it was a family pet that was _very _close to human so that it could keep guard on her.

The first time he visited… Well, let's just say Sirius decided to do the old Surprise-James on Aimee…

_FLASHBACK_

_Aimee and her class were walking down to the Quidditch Pitch for Sports lessons. She had gotten a few lessons from Adelaide and Charlie before, but sports lessons were better, since it was the whole class and the teams were made by the teacher, who made fair teams, as some had almost never played Quidditch in their lives. Like Aimee. Except she wasn't bad at it, anyway. _

_She carried her bag on her shoulder, talking to Adelaide about some random subject, not noticing a pair of gray eyes watching her from the forest. _

_Sirius grinned from the bushes of the forest and flicked his wand. The Quidditch robes slinked out of the bag noiselessly and flew away, and landed next to the forest, near to where the man was waiting. He watched as his goddaughter suddenly turned around, looked in the bag, and realized she had forgotten the clothes she was supposed to change into. She cursed, told her friends not to wait up, that she'd be right there. She started heading back to the castle._

_Her eyes suddenly spotted the all-too-familiar Quidditch Robes lying next to the forest and she headed towards them wondering how they got there._

_Aimee was walking, cursing, and wondering about her clothes. She picked them up and stuffed them in her bag. As she slung the bag over her shoulder and started to walk away, soft, pounding paws hit the ground as he ran towards her. Her back to him, the big, black dog jumped and-_

"_Oomph!" was Aimee's muffled cry, as all air left her lungs as something heavy jumped (and landed) on her. Her bag was wrenched from her shoulder, she could hear joyous panting in her ear, she lifted her head with difficulty and hissed: "If that's you, Sirius, I'm so gonna kill you!" _

_The dog got off her, almost breaking her back. It had her bag between its teeth. _

"_Give that back, Sirius!" Aimee told it sternly, her response being a black dog vigorously shaking its furry head, causing the bag to swing dangerously at her face. She tried to snatch it away, but the dog lumbered farther into the forest, into a small clearing, walking and then running._

"_Sirius! Get back here, you damn dog!" Aimee screeched after the black dog, running after it._

_After a few seconds of running, the dog stopped suddenly at the forest clearing, and was beginning to start waiting, when Aimee came running in and tripped of the huge black body of the dog. It gave a small yelp as she fell over him._

"_Sirius! I really hate you now!" She hissed, trying to make a grab for her bag. There was a 'pop!' and there was Sirius, sitting on the floor next to her, laughing his head off like the sensible, caring godfather he was. He handed her her bag, his thanks being a glare, and asked: "So how's school? Everything alright?" He had stopped laughing, but there was still a smile on his face._

"_Fine. I was _going_ to sports when I was rudely interrupted", here she paused to make her point, "by my _dear _godfather who had the grand idea of knocking me down and stealing my Quidditch Robes" _

"_Well, that makes all the family" _

"_Don't tell me you knocked down Harry and my dad, too? And even my mum?" _

"_Not Lily, James forbade me to go near her when in dog form, but Harry and James, yes. You should have seen the look on his face when he saw me running at him…" Sirius grinned at her._

"_Must have been bloody hilarious!" Aimee responded sarcastically, "Well, it was nice meeting up again, but I must go back to class" She made to get up, but Sirius stood up and grabbed her arm before she could escape._

"_You're not happy to see your dear godfather?" He pouted. Aimee put on her best sweet smile and said cheerfully: "Why, yes! How made you think not?" She finished talking and her smile slid off into a frown._

"_Sheesh, no need to be so huffy" _

"_Sorry. Well, why are you here, anyway?"_

"_To check on you. I am your godfather after all, you know. And I'm also going into Hogsmeade when your brother, Ron and Hermione go there"_

"_So you're stalking him, too?" Aimee said, raising her eyebrows. _

"_Aimee, I know you're pissed off about me being innocently playful, but it wasn't _my_ fault I couldn't resist the temptation…" Sirius gave her an innocent smile, hoping to be forgiven._

"_Fine, you're forgiven" Aimee gave a long-suffering sigh, "But I do need to get back or I'm really going to get into trouble, and what's going to be my excuse? 'Oh, my godfather/dog ate my Quidditch Robes…' what a lame excuse" She turned to go, but Sirius cleared his throat loudly. Giving another long-suffering sigh again, she turned and gave her godfather a hug, saying as she did so: "I'm not a baby anymore, you know?" _

"_That's nice to know. I'll be watching you practice. Now run along and get yourself a broken leg by falling off your broom" Sirius said in a motherly voice._

"_That's great advice, that is…" She muttered under her breath, and started to run towards the Quidditch Pitch. She saw out of her eye a black dog running along the forest, undoubtedly going to the stands to watch._

"_Damn Sirius… Thinks he's too cute for his own good…" She muttered under her breath as she entered the girl's changing rooms, in which a huffy Adelaide greeted her by saying that she better change her clothes in less than 5 seconds or they'd be late, and that where the bloody hell had she been, her uniform was muddy._

_END FLASHBACK_

And after about a week of die-hard lessons in Beauxbatons, her friends found out about her Animagus transforming. It had been quite obvious, with her drinking potions and spluttering on them with the stupid explanation that she had _delicate lungs_.It was a lame reason, anyway. They had confronted her about it, and she confessed, hoping they weren't too mad at her for keeping too many secrets. She was right, thank god. It had been Benji who had bought up the subject, one day at dinner.

"What are you drinking?" He had said innocently, knowing perfectly well what her answer would be, "I've read a few books and they said that for delicate lungs all you need is a spell, not disgusting potions. And every time during those lessons with Monsieur Montgomery you come back all tired and stuff"

And then she broke down and knew she couldn't lie to them any more. She led them to an empty classroom and told them about it.

"Look, Benji's right, I researched it myself and I realized that it was a lame excuse anyway… And you are my friends, so here goes anyway… I'm becoming an Animagus"

Silence had filled the empty classroom she had dragged them in. Except for Benji who kept demanding Charlie and Adelaide what she had said.

"So… that's it?" Charlie had asked, letting out a breath as if he had expected the worst.

"Whaddaya mean 'that's it'? Becoming an Animagus is no easy feat, you know!" Aimee glared.

"No, no… I just thought- Ah, never mind"

"Well, I think it's a good idea. I mean, your brother being Harry Potter and all. It's really gonna come in handy someday. I suppose he's becoming one, too?" Adelaide replied thoughtfully, cocking her head to one side, looking at Aimee curiously.

"Yeah, and Ron and Hermione, too"

"Cool! Being able to become an animal whenever you want!" Benji grinned. Aimee had told them how she was becoming one, and they supported her all the way. Thank God.

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A particularly tiring Saturday evening of February after yet another tiring lesson and a spell performed on her, she went back to the common room practically falling asleep while walking.

"I _really _am getting pissed off about that running-away animal" She muttered under her breath as plopped down on a squishy sofa.

"Relax, you'll be able to see it after a while, I suppose. I mean, there has to be difference between today and last month, isn't there?" Adelaide asked comforting her.

"Yeah, the first time I was so shocked that I actually passed out, not counting that this bright light jumped at me out of nowhere and half-blinded me! Monsieur Montgomery just happened to _forget _to tell me that that would happen" Aimee hissed angrily, then sighting and letting the anger out of her, as it would probably piss off her friends, and make Harry angry, too, as he felt the same thing, anyway. And Ron and Hermione, too. See the problem it would create?

Charlie suppressed a weak laugh, he was sitting on a couch, a calendar on his hand, he was making a few notes in it, probably to mark exams or birthdays and such, the other hand holding a bar of chocolate which he was munching on (**I like chocolate!**). Aimee shot him what she hoped was a glare, but gave up as her mouth twitched as he ate the chocolate. He did look funny shoving chocolate down his throat. It also reminded her of that time in the Hospital Wing when Madame Promphrey tried to choke him with chocolate.

"See? I make everyone laugh without even trying" Charlie grinned at Adelaide. She rolled her eyes. Aimee did, too, and took out her books from her bag to do some homework.

"Well, I'm gonna go to the Infirmary, I don't feel so good. I think I may be getting a fever" He added. Putting down the calendar and closing it. He broke off a piece of un-bitten chocolate ad tossed it to Aimee, saying as he put on his cloak; "Here, that'll help the feeling faint after the spell"

"Thanks" Aimee called after him as he closed the door after him, giving her a small smile. Benji whistled, grinning at her as he looked up from homework.

"Oh, shush" She snapped in French, grabbing her potions book and throwing it at him playfully. He ducked, and made a disbelieving face, and gasped dramatically.

"Throwing books, Aimee? Now you really are becoming a troublesome someone like us!" The answer was received by another thrown book that whacked him square on the shoulder.

"Oi! What are you trying to do, kill me?"

"Serves you right!" Aimee humphed and took a bite out of the piece of chocolate. It was pretty good; she hadn't tasted chocolate in a long time. No, wait, she had eaten it about two weeks ago when she had (once again) fainted in Montgomery's office… he had offered her a piece of chocolate after that, telling her the same thing Charlie had. Well, it was pretty known that chocolate did make you feel better after collapsing and such.

A sudden noise at the window broke her from her thoughts. A snowy-white owl was pecking at the window, carrying two letters tied to her legs.

"Hedwig!" Aimee exclaimed, walking over to the window and opening it. The owl flew in, and landed on the desk, just as Benji hastily cleared away some homework papers before she could trample them with her claws. Hedwig held out her leg, a few of her feathers had a bit of snow in them, she hooted in announcement of her arrival.

Aimee hurried over and untied the two letters from her leg, opening one and recognizing Harry's handwriting; it looked as if it had been written quite fast. There other seemed to be from Sirius, but read Harry's first.

_Aimee: _

_They found him- Wormtail. At an attack this morning on someone's house, Wormtail was caught and they're having a trial for him tomorrow! Sirius will be free! Go get the two-way mirror NOW, so I can tell you more about it._

_-Harry_

_P.S: Sirius sent a letter, too, it's tied to Hedwig's leg also._

**A/N: OOOH! Cliffy! I love doing that, I'm so evil! Ok, I didn't really mean it, but it took me THREE tries to write this chapter, then I wrote too much, I still had four more pages to go, but I decided to cut it there and keep going the next chapter. Review, please! I'm not posting any more until I get 5 more reviews!**


	8. Sirius's Hearing

**A/N: Thank you for all your reviews! Oh, yeah, and the two-way mirror didn't break; and Sirius gave it to Aimee as she needed it more.**

**One more thing, the things in Bold are Author's Notes, ok? And I don't own Harry Potter, since I'm not sure I put a disclaimer. Enjoy!**

Aimee stared at the letter, the words repeating in her head over and over again. She read the letter again. It was true… her brain thought over the words, she still couldn't believe them.

The pieces of parchment slipped from her hands, they flapped down to the floor, and she stared at the window in front of her, not really looking at it.

_Sirius is free, Sirius is free_, her mind told her again and again as she stood there, her mouth partly open.

"Aimee? Are you alright?" Benji asked her worriedly behind her. Adelaide peered at her from behind her Potions book, as she too began to ask: "Are you ok, Ai-" She never finished her sentence, as Aimee picked up the pieces of parchment and ran from the room, into the girl's dormitories, and she threw herself onto her trunk and began searching wildly, throwing her things over her shoulder and onto the floor as she dug to the bottom of her trunk.

"Aimee! What's wrong? You just ran away- Did something happen?" Adelaide's voice rang across the dormitory; she ran and kneeled next to Aimee, a worried expression on her face.

"Something _did_ happen… Addy, can you exit the room for a bit? I want to talk to my brother, it's really urgent!" Aimee asked Adelaide, turning to her, a pleading expression on her face. She knew Adelaide's confusedness would probably make her obey Aimee, as Adelaide knew about the two-way mirror. She nodded, and left the room, looking back at Aimee as she closed the door.

"Harry Potter!" Aimee cried as she found the mirror. A light emerged from it as she held it close, breathing hard in excitement, and Harry's face appeared in the mirror.

"You got the message?" Was the first breathless thing she heard.

"Yes- then is it true?" She replied urgently. Harry grinned.

"Yes. I can't remember the people's house, it doesn't matter, really, but listen- apparently Voldemort was trying to gather more Death Eaters, but the Aurors arrived, and then they all dissaparated, but Shacklebolt saw Wormtail and stunned him before he could do anything, and the rest stunned two others, I think it might've been Greyback and Knott, I'm not sure, but the point is that _they got Wormtail_." Harry finished his excited and hurried explanation.

"Whoa, Harry, take a breath before you launch on a speech" Ron's voice said over Harry's shoulder.

"Hi, Ron" Aimee called, "Is Hermione there with you two?"

"Hey, Aims. Yeah, Hermione's here, too… Hang on a sec…OI! HERMIONE! Aimee wants to talk to you!" Ron shouted over his shoulder.

"Sheesh, Ron, and you were telling me to take a breath…" Harry said sarcastically. He moved to see Hermione, Aimee saw they were in the almost empty Common Room. Hermione came.

"Ron, I was 5 feet away, no need to shout" She fussed.

"Well, it's necessary to shout when you're in that concentration field doing homework, you know. Otherwise you wouldn't have noticed us calling your name"

"Hey, I'm still here" Aimee said loudly for them to hear. The Golden Trio's attention was once again directed to her.

"Right. Well, anyway, Harry here was practically hopping around ever since he found out an hour ago-"

"I was NOT hopping!" Harry interrupted Ron.

"Right, Harry. Then what would you call it, joyous moon-walking?" Ron asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Being happy" was Harry's prompt response.

"Guys! Will you two stop fighting so we can actually talk to Aimee?" Hermione said shrilly.

"Yes, it's happened two times already, and I feel ever so left out and depressed!" Aimee cried dramatically. She whapped her forehead with the back of her hand and gave a sniff. "So, give me some details" she added, grinning like mad.

"While these two blundering idiots decide over Harry's general happy meter, I'll explain; Professor McGonagall is coming to get you tomorrow morning after breakfast so you can attend Sirius's and Wormtail's hearing, although you have to, anyway, since you are his goddaughter, but Ron and I are staying here, we aren't his relatives. Oh, and Fudge will be there, too, since the git didn't give Sirius a trial, and now that I think about it, Dumbledore, I think, and a few other people…I think maybe Tonks, too"

"Now that Hermione's finished with her speech, and we can finally talk to you-" Ron started, but Hermione interrupted.

"It wasn't a speech! I was filling her in on what you two idiots clearly weren't capable of!"

"Well, Dumbledore got us out of class and explained, he had to tell the Ministry about him finding Sirius, he's gone to the ministry to make sure they won't try to put Sirius in cell or something during the night" Harry said, sticking his head in front of the mirror.

"Did you get to talk to him?" Aimee asked.

"Not really, but we got a letter- Didn't I send it to you with mine?" Harry asked curiously.

"Yeah, hang on…" She unfolded the other piece of parchment and read out loud:

_Harry and Aimee:_

_They've found Wormtail at an attack in someone's house; they're holding his trial tomorrow. Dumbledore and I are going to the ministry to sort things out, as it means I'll be proven innocent. Don't owl me back as it'll look suspicious that you already know me, you aren't supposed to know I'm innocent- Tomorrow behave like you hate me for 'killing' your parents and as if you don't know me, especially you, Aimee, since you supposedly don't even know about me, and Harry has only 'seen' me, three years ago. The story is that I've been on the run, but went to Dumbledore while he was in Hogsmeade when I heard about Wormtail. I'll see you tomorrow, say hello to Ron and Hermione for me._

_Sirius._

_P.S. I don't have time to send two letters, Harry, send this to your sister._

"Good. So act like we don't know him, like we hate 'im, too, and that we've never heard a thing about him ever since I was 13…Except you. You aren't supposed to know he actually exists until tomorrow, when it's on the news" Harry said.

"Alright. See you tomorrow, then! Good night!" Aimee yawned, it was quite late.

"Good night!" Came the three voices as if they were one, and their faces disappeared from the mirror.

There was a pause.

"Harry, How do you turn this thing off?" Ron's voice asked, peering into the mirror, in which Aimee had left upside down when she left the room to take a shower.

"Aren't you supposed to say 'end' or something?" Hermione asked.

"End!"

There was another pause.

"That didn't work"

"I think I figured that part out myself, Ron, thanks"

"Well, we've never used it before, didn't Sirius tell you?" Hermione said.

"Well, no. He told me how to talk…"

"Let's see, maybe this little button?"

"Hermione, that's a nail. It keeps the mirror together, see?"

"Nice. Can't remember, Harry?"

"Maybe 'Turn off?' Hey! It wo-"

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Harry waited outside the doors of the place where the hearing was to be taken. He was in the Ministry of Magic. Wringing his fingers, he bit his lip, waiting for his sister to come. During the morning, it had been a complete riot when the Daily Prophet had arrived, whispers everywhere and people asking Harry whether he believed Sirius Black was innocent, he had said yes to all of them.

He had had to leave Ron and Hermione at school to come here to the Ministry for the Hearing. Dumbledore had left him here and went to talk with Fudge, making sure they weren't mistreating Sirius. He hadn't even seen his godfather.

His thoughts were cut off by someone calling his name.

"Harry!" A very familiar voice called down the hall. He turned around- he grinned- as he watched his sister walking quite fast to him. Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore were behind her, McGonagall looking exasperated at the girl's behavior in the Ministry, Dumbledore looking amused.

Before Harry could even say a simple "Hi" she got to him and swung her arms violently around his neck. He laughed, took a step back to regain his balance, and pried Aimee off himself.

"Hello" he grinned. She laughed.

"Sorry. Over-excited, you see" She explained.

"So… what have you been up to? Any news?" Harry asked her. They both sat down and started exchanging the things they had been doing excitedly.

"Well, I've been attacked by a certain black dog every few weeks for some reason. It seemed to think that I enjoy getting knocked down" Aimee said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Lemme guess. He did the 'Ole knock-James'-as he calls it- on you? So much for the sensitive godfather…" Harry rolled his eyes. "Anyway, how was this morning? Were they suspicious or anything? And how did you get here, anyway? Apparated?"

"Yeah, Side-Along Apparition with McGonagal. Not much news, actually, yesterday I was so shocked that I traumatized Adelaide and Benji. Charlie was sick, turns out he had a really high fever last night, he wasn't back by the time I left, so I had no problem with him. I just pretended to be really surprised this morning, and they believed me… Thank God" She took a deep breath of relief. "So how's your transforming going? Seen anything yet?"

"I think it's something big… I really can't see it yet. Hermione reckons she's seeing something that flies, and Ron thinks it's a big animal, too… You?"

"Same. Not much, although I think it's medium sized… Oh!" Aimee suddenly put her hand to her mouth.

"What?" Harry's curiosity got the better of him; he knew that Aimee was feeling something of surprise.

"I just thought of something… What if I'm a _dog_!"

Harry stared at her in silence. He bit his lip. He felt a sudden desire to explode. It was threatening to come out. He snorted, then started laughing hard. Aimee looked at him skeptically, narrowing her eyes.

"What's wrong with a dog? Your _godfather's_ a dog!" Harry made sure no-one was listening. He smirked at her, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, he's going to think I'm his new playmate or something…." Aimee rolled her eyes.

"_Do_ you think you'll change into a dog?" Harry asked. He really was curious about it. But if she did turn into a dog… that'd be comical. _Sirius would be absolutely delighted_, Harry thought (**I can almost imagine the English accent there**), imagining a big black dog pestering another younger-looking dog that was unmoving, which looked a lot like Aimee.

He could almost hear Sirius saying 'Why, yes, my goddaughter takes after me, you know, we are a lot alike…' at a party with the champagne and everything. Then they would both turn into dogs and go roll in the mud or whatever dogs did when they were bored. The thought made him want to start laughing. He bit his lip hard to remind him he shouldn't laugh, and listened to his sister.

"No… Now that I think about it, I can't really see myself as a dog. I don't think I'll be one, actually" Aimee said slowly, looking thoughtful.

"There you go!" Harry said, throwing his arms in the air. "Problem solved!"

"Harry, Aimee, the Hearing is about to start" Dumbledore said behind Harry, he jumped at his sudden appearance, and whirled around to see him smiling and twinkling his eyes in a very Dumbledorish way. It was quite annoying, sometimes, too.

Aimee got up, placing her hand on the top of his messy-haired head to heave herself up, pushing his head down. His face smashed on the sofa. Thank God it was soft, or else he'd would've thrown her out the window by now. She turned to look back at him, placing a smirk of her face. _She's evil_, Harry thought, _pure evil_. She mouthed 'Thanks' at him, grinning evilly.

'You'll pay' Harry mouthed back at her, rubbing his sore neck, he could've sworn something cracked, and now he was bleeding internally and about to drop dead. Harry wouldn't be surprised if his neck started malfunctioning on the turning section. She smirked at him and caught up with Dumbledore, walking next to him as they entered the room for safety. There were mad twin brothers on the prowl, you know!

Harry walked behind her, resisting the temptation to poke her on the sides, something that he had discovered last Christmas Holidays that would make her squeak and writher, tickling her, and then she'd be in his power!

Harry found it very hard not to laugh a 'Muahahaha!' at this thought. He reminded himself to do that when not in public and make her pay!

They entered; they were in the circular room in which Harry's hearing had been, Dumbledore sat them down on the second row. He himself sat on the first, next to Rufus Scrimgeour, the new Minister, and some other people, such as Fudge, who hadn't even _bothered_ to give him a Trial. Harry noticed the full court was there. He glared daggers at Fudge and then focused his gaze on the men sitting in the middle of the room. He noticed Tonks sitting on the fourth row, she waved at them, giving them a small smile. Her hair was bright blue with short curls boinging up and down.

In the middle, along with 3 other men, was Sirius. He sat in a chair, his arms and legs chained to it, a nervous expression on his face, yet he looked happy that he was finally going to be free. A few people glared at him, a few gave him thumbs-up (like Tonks), and others looked at him quizzically, as if trying to determine whether he was mad or not.

Sirius was glaring dangerously up at Fudge, who was glaring back, but there was a small lack of confidence in him, as there were so many people… Harry was reminded that Sirius probably didn't do well in such a big crowd, after the last 15 years of his life.

Harry felt a surge of hatred shoot past him, he had a vague feeling Aimee felt that, too. He turned his gaze on her.

Her wavy, black, shoulder-length hair had been pulled back into a half-pony tail, held tightly in its place by a light blue ribbon. A few stray hairs sat about her face, like very long bangs, falling into her eyes, and twisting around her ears. Her face rigid, firm, yet it looked soft and pitiful as she watched the other man. The one that betrayed her parents. She seemed to be deep in thought. Her usual smile (or the guilty one whenever she embarrassed herself by tripping and falling face-first into the ground that Harry had seen so many times. She actually was quite clumsy once Harry thought about it…) had been replaced by a sad frown. Her Beauxbatons uniform, worn under her cloak, (as Harry was wearing his Hogwarts uniform under his cloak, too) reminded him of Fleur, but in a different way. She wore this uniform, too. But Aimee looked prettier in it, Harry decided. Fleur may be a beauty, but she had too much 'I'm-the-best' issuses. He vaguely remembered that Fleur and Bill were getting married this summer…

Her eyes bore a strange expression in them, one Harry could not guess. It looked like a mixture between hatred and pity. Harry felt his feelings mix with his sister's.

How can a man betray like that? What could have made Pettigrew turn down the life he had to kill innocent people and ruin lives, families, justice like that?

A question popped in Harry's mind. Why? Why had he done it? Aimee turned to look at him. He smiled encouragingly at her.

"Sirius'll be alright" He told her reassuringly. She sighted, worried.

"I hope so. They better believe Sirius innocent, and send that damn _bastard_ to Hell, I couldn't care less if he caught fire" Her last words filled with hatred made Harry think. She really must be upset. She rarely swore; much less say anything worse than 'damn' or 'shit'.

"Pettigrew wouldn't get as much as my spit if he did" Harry smiled nastily. Aimee snorted at Harry's response. _Well_, Harry thought indifferently, _he wouldn't_!

The other two men sitting besides Sirius (who was now fixing Pettigrew with a cold, hateful stare) and Pettigrew (who was squirming frightened in his seat. He looked like he was about to faint. Not to mention he was pleading to Scrimgeour to let him go. As if that would ever happen) was Greyback and Knott.

Fenrir Greyback was looking pale and sick (Was the full moon near, or had it been not long ago?), he didn't seem to have the strength to do anything but sit unmoving and glare hungrily at the people looking down at him. Knott looked furious and guilty.

The Trial began with the usual questions. They had all been given Veriterasum, since Greyback and Knott confessed everything. They were first. Of course we always save best for last, don't we? They were sent to Azkaban. _Oh, yippee. But at least he won't bite anyone anymore_, Harry thought. Now came the part Harry was most anxious about, where they questioned Pettigrew and Sirius.

Harry watched as Sirius kept staring at Pettigrew, not even blinking, with that hateful gaze, as Pettigrew answered the questions fearfully.

His godfather's gaze lifted and met the twin's eyes. Pettigrew followed his gaze. Sirius watched them; obviously not giving them a smile, for it would give them away. But his eyes relaxed from that nervousness he seemed to have. Aimee quickly looked around, then shot him an encouraging smile quickly.

Pettigrew watched her with a fearful expression. Aimee looked so much like her mother… The one he had almost as good as killed. Sirius turned to Pettigrew, his eyes flaming with sudden hate, looking a Pettigrew as if to say 'How dare you even _look_ at them! After what you did?'

Sirius death glare was cut short as it was his turn. He told his story. Harry tensed, biting his lip, hoping, as the council put their heads together, it seemed like a million years passed before Rufus Scrimgeour cleared his throat at the buzzing crowd.

"Pettigrew is guilty; Black will be cleared of all charges"

"_Yes!_" Aimee squealed, she grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. Actually, just his head. Harry was laughing, but they weren't heard, the whole council was in an uproar. The believed murderer was innocent! The believed-dead man was guilty!

"Damn you, Fudge! You didn't even give him a trial and sent an innocent man to Azkaban!" A voice rang out. Harry didn't know who spoke, but the crowd was now yelling things like 'Yeah! Make him pay!' or 'Apologize!' or 'Go to Hell, Fudge!'

Sirius's legs and hands were released from its metal binds, he stumbled forward debelieving, Pettigrew was screaming, tears were springing from his eyes, yelling excuses, pleading… Harry's view was blocked (once again) by Aimee, who seemed to think that jumping and hugging could be done at the same time, strangling Harry half to death. Sirius had a wierd, happy grin on his face, making him look like a real madman.

"Apologize! Apologize!" The crowd was chanting, waving their fists into the air.

"SILENCE!" Scrimgeour roared, whacking the wooden hammer thingy on the desk, and the room fell silent, except for Pettigrew's feeble pleading.

"Take him away" He nodded to the guards. They froze him so he wouldn't escape, as they had done to Greyback and Knott, and grabbed his arms, pulling him upwards and out of sight of the main entrance

"NO! NO! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! HE WOULD'VE KILLED ME! NOOO!" Pettigrew's screams filled the silent room as he was dragged away, kicking his legs. It really was a painful sight, watching a condemned man pleading for his life. Something in Harry sparked.

Aimee gasped. _It must be painful for her to watch this_, thought Harry. Sirius seemed be lost as the crowd cheered. Tonks was whooping loudly, her blue curls bouncing up and down as herself.

"Th-They're giving him the D-Dementor's Kiss, aren't they?" Aimee said quietly. She put her hand to her mouth. Her eyes watered. Harry pulled her in a hug.

"Yes. He's getting what he deserves" Harry responded just as quietly.

"It all started here… I-If they would've given S-Sirius a trial we could have been together ever-ever since Mum and Dad d-died!" She choked out. She took a deep breath, calming herself before she really started crying. "And now it's ended… Sirius is proven innocent"

"Don't cry for him, Aimee. He doesn't deserve your tears" Harry told her firmly. He held her tightly. She was right. He shook his head. "But it hasn't ended. There is still Voldemort"

"It was his fault we don't have parents" Aimee said into his shoulder. "He killed them"

"Shh…" Harry said. He embraced his sister even tighter. Her words made him think. "Now we have to go to Sirius, Aims. Come on" He nodded his head towards the exit. Before they could do as much as blink, the voice (Harry saw it belonged to some young guy who had a rebel-like appearance, next to Tonks) rang out, independent and strong: "Fudge let this happen! _He_ sent and innocent man to Azkaban!_ He _prevented Harry and Aimee Potter to be left without a guardian during their lives! It was _him_ who let a big mistake as this happen!"

And so the crowd started stirring. Dumbledore decided to step in and 'help' if you may call it that.

"Yes, I do believe what that young man says over there is true" He smiled at Fudge expectantly.

"I-I.." Fudge seemed to be lost for words. He looked around guiltily, trying to find an excuse.

"Apologize! Apologize! Apolo-" The crowd started to chant, but they were very rudely interrupted by Scrimgeor, who whacked the wooden hammer thingy against his desk wearily and shouted: "SILENCE!" He didn't say anything else. The crowd was watching Fudge expectantly; they looked like they meant business.

"Hey, Fudge" Sirius spoke at last. He glared at Fudge, and crossed his arms across his chest. "I believe you owe me an apology" He raised his eyebrows. He looked mad.

Nobody said anything more. Nobody left. They all were watching Fudge. "We ain't leaving until he apologizes!" yelled the young man who started the ruckus. "Who's with us?" Tonks yelled next to him, they seemed to be friends, he grinned at her thankfully.

The crowd agreed yelling in response.

Fudge cracked under the pressure, the accusing stares of everyone were made him give in. "I- I… I'm sorry for this mistake, I- thought…" His voice trailed away.

"Some mistake" Sirius muttered just before the crowd burst into cheers.

"Come on!" Harry grinned, he seized the hood of Aimee's cloak and dragged her after him, hurrying towards the exit as the people talked excitedly, the ones who saw them beamed at them, a few chuckled at Harry's haste. And Aimee's misfortune of being dragged.

"Sirius! Oi, Sirius!" Harry yelled, hurrying towards his godfather, who was awkwardly shaking hands with random people who approached him. They were all saying the kind of things that you'd say when a mass murderer turned out to be innocent.

His gaze fell on Harry, who was walking quite fast, pushing past people with one hand, the other holding Aimee's cloak hood, her complaining; "What am I, your dog?" He finally let go of his sister, his speed made her crash into his back. She seized the back of his cloak so as not to fall. He ignored this, and kept his ground firmly.

"Hello, I believe I'm your godfather?" Sirius put on the act. He stuck out his hand politely. He grinned at the twin behind Harry, who, behind Harry, was making gestures that her brother was crazy. They shook hands, and re-introduced themselves in a fake, pompous manner.

_So, in total, it was a pretty good day_, Harry thought.

**A/N: And they lived happily ever after! Well, that's after. Like when the story ends, maybe. Haha. I hoped you liked the chapter! I hope it wasn't cheesy or anything!**

**I couldn't resist putting the 'I don't know how to turn off mirror' part after Aimee left to take a shower, it was just too much of a temptation!**

**Whew! NINE pages! Amazing! Well, for me anyway. I usually do 5.**

**Review!**


	9. Coming Home

**A/N: Right, so here are last names so you people won't be lost:**

**Jean-Pierre Smith**

**Marianna Nerushay**

**Charlie Houston**

**Benjamin Johnson**

**Adelaide Soleila**

_5 Months Later…_

The year was over. Her sixth year as a witch was over. Aimee sighted as she clambered up on the train taking her home with her best friends.

It had all happened so fast. One day, she was arriving, the next, it seemed she was going back. She did want to go back, but she had grown attached to Beauxbatons, she _had_ spent more time here than Hogwarts…

In total, she had taken the potion a bazillion times (the time to be able to transform was drawing near, she was getting nervous, but her friends soothed this feeling as they had found out), had been performed a different spell each week by her tutorial teacher, Monsieur Montgomery, had learned a million advanced defense and attack spells and jinxes, had seen Benji and Charlie perform countless pranks (especially to our favorite new villain), had learned a lot of French and could manage sometimes without the translator, had taken so many Apparition lessons (She could Apparate now! How was that possible!), had sent and received millions of letters…

It had been a long year, Aimee finally concluded. It just so happens it was over.

"Another year, come and gone!" Charlie cried dramatically in a sorrow voice, disrupting Aimee's thoughts. He whapped the back of his hand to his forehead sorrowfully.

"The next will be the best!" Benji added, "Our last has to start with a big BANG!"

"I just hope you aren't thinking of blowing up the school…" Aimee muttered under her breath.

"And end with an ever greater BANG!" He continued, not having heard Aimee. "I have a little something planned… Been inventing it for the last month, just a summer to complete it!"

"I still don't see why you won't tell me" Charlie raised his eyebrows.

"It's a surprise!" Benji said evilly.

"Sheesh" Charlie muttered. They found an empty compartment, and loaded their trunks, pranks ensued and Charlie threatened to heave Benji up with the luggage if he didn't say whatever he was planning. Benji refused.

"HEY!" Benji yelled as Charlie pointed his wand at him and said: "_Petrificus Totalus!_" With that Charlie expertly grabbed him and, making quite the effort, threw Benji up on the luggage rack. The train sped off and gained speed. They were off.

He clapped his hands together and said as if he hadn't just thrown a boy over the luggage rack: "So, ladies… What was the subject of our highly interesting conversation again?"

"We were discussing the properties of Moonstone and its uses in Potions" Adelaide answered promptly, as if that were interesting.

"How boring" Charlie said flatly, raising his eyebrows.

"Exactly. Now that boy, up there, the one you just threw over the luggage rack, is going to kill you if you don't get him down" Aimee said, pointing at the struggling Benji. "Now"

"Do I have to?" Charlie said, putting a puppy face.

"Yes" Both girls answered.

"Darn it!" Charlie cursed dramatically, but pointed his wand at Benjamin and said the countercourse.

"There. Happy?" He asked, throwing his arms in the air.

"YAH! Vengeance shall be mine!" Was Benjamin's yell, and he jumped out of the luggage rack onto unsuspecting Charlie.

"Hey! Get off, you mad monkey!" And both boys started fighting on the compartment, much to the oblivion of the girls.

"Idiots" Adelaide muttered under her breath, then spoke to Aimee, "So, Aimee… You'll be coming back as an Animagus… Guess you'll become an accomplice of those two idiots over there" She said, nodding towards Charlie and Benji, who were both still fighting, wands laying forgotten on the floor, and shouting things like; "Feel my wrath!" and "Yeah, as much as a little pipsqueak like you can do! HEY! No biting!"

"Nah, Madame Maxime said 'no abusing this power', so I don't think I'll use it much… Unless it is completely necessary!" She added with a grin. "Ooh, I can't wait for my apparition test… It'll be so cool"

"Give up yet?" Benji's voice yelled.

"Ha! I can Apparate and you can't!" Adelaide told Aimee teasingly, giving her a poke on the ribs.

"NO! And fight like a real man, bug!" Charlie answered, reaching for a book and whacking Benji repeatedly on the head with it. "That means no biting!"

"Meanie…" Aimee pouted, rubbing her ribs.

"Too bad you won't be there with him… He's really going to panic!" Adelaide giggled. "At least you'll have Harry there with you"

"HAHAHA! Ok, fine, (haha) fine, I g-give! Now sto-stop (haha) tickling, you unmanly (haha) git!" Charlie yelled, squirming on the floor, gasping for air and laughing hard.

"Who's un-manly? The winner or the idiot who lost?" Benji triumphantly asked, getting up and dusting himself.

"Yeah, Ron and Hermione took it about a month ago… They were old enough. This summer'll be great! I'll be of age and I'll be able to Apparate and Sirius will be able to get out in public with no problems!" Aimee grinned. Sirius had been overjoyed… which meant more knocking down unsuspecting twins. Unfortunately. Yes, he didn't like going out into public much, he detested the whispers and stares, he usually liked going to places that didn't involve too many people. But he didn't like staying inside, much, so… A black dog was a usual sight nowadays.

Adelaide smiled at her. "I really am glad for you that you have a fatherly figure like that. I'm just sorry he wasn't proven innocent before. And Charlie, get off the floor and stop giggling, I've seen some students sticking gum under the seats, it really is disgusting" She added to the giggling Charlie.

"I wasn't giggling!" Charlie said as he dusted himself as he got up, "I'm a guy, if you noticed, guy's don't-" He was cut short by Benji poking him on the side. Charlie let out a "hee-hee!" as he tried not to laugh and he grabbed a book and dropped it on Benji's head.

"Hey!"

"Never poke or prod me, touch me sharply with the finger on the sides, or anything that involves tickling or my ribs if you don't want to die!" Charlie threatened. He sat down. Benji thought it over, thinking of any way around it. He finally decided there was no way out.

"Fine. I suppose a weakling like you can't stand it. And no, I hadn't noticed you're a guy" Benji grinned. "Hey!" He added as Charlie twirled his wand and Benji's hair turned pink.

The compartment door opened, revealing a hot guy with spiky blond hair, green-blue eyes, and a smug smirk. Jean-Pierre Smith, obviously. He was already wearing normal clothes, he had apparently already changed.

"Don't think anyone has, Houston. Nobody bothered to ask, anyway" He replied, looking down at Charlie, smirking. Charlie's grin slid of his face and was replied by a frown and glaring eyes. "Nice hair color, Johnson" He added to Benji, whose hair color was still pink.

The compartment door slid a bit more to reveal three other boys, and clinging to Jean-Pierre was pretty blond girl in a black miniskirt and a pink tank top.

"Looks better on you, Johnson" Marianna Nerushay smirked.

"Get. Out. Now" Charlie growled. He pointed his wand at Jean-Pierre and stood up, his face expressionless, yet a hint of weariness in it.

Smith snorted. "No" He said simply, but whipped out his wand.

"Out. NOW." Aimee said suddenly, standing up. She had learned some good defensive spells, not to mention passing the non-verbal stage.

Marianna's eyes turned to her. "What are you going to do, Potter? Call your brother and ask for help?" She laughed.

"I can manage by myself, believe me" She responded coldly. She was so glad she had studied a lot of French. At least she could answer. Benji stood up next to her.

"Think you're the only one that knows a lot of spells?" Smith asked her. "Come on out in the hallway and show me. Unless… You're too scared?"

Aimee's heart jumped, but she didn't move. "Bring it on" She said quietly. She barely got in fights; it was usually Charlie and Benji who did the hexing.

"Aimee, no. Don't do it" Adelaide grabbed her arm. "He's an idiot, that's what he is, he'll go away"

"Knew you'd chicken out. Too weak to fight back" Smith with a long-suffering sigh. "Come on, I don't see why we should stay longer with these dorks" He motioned for the rest of the boys and his giggling girlfriend.

"What a wimp. Such a waste on a pretty girl like her" Marianna said loudly enough for Aimee to hear, which sent her blood boiling.

"I meant what I said, idiot!" Aimee replied, getting out of the compartment, glaring at the retreating back of Smith and Marianna. He turned around, an evil gleam in his eye.

"No!" Adelaide hissed behind her.

"Oh, really? Well, then come on, I'll let you do the first spell, I am a gentleman, you know" He sneered.

"Two on two" Charlie said, who suddenly appeared next to her, raising his wand. "Choose your second"

Jean-Pierre looked at him, surprised. "Don't want your little girlfriend to get hurt, now, do you? Fine…" He took a second to look back at his comrades, Charlie's eye twitched. "Lyle, you're second" He nodded his head to a boy with brown hair and a sneer. Then, without warning, he raised his wand and attacked. He shouted a hex at Aimee, she blocked it easily.

"Cheater!" She muttered under her breath.

"_Pegado_!" Charlie yelled, and Lyle feet were stuck to the ground, unmoving. He shouted a spell back, Charlie yelled "_Protego_!" at the same time as Aimee, barely prepared.

"_Gritero_!" Jean-Pierre pointed his wand at them, they weren't quick enough, and a loud shriek was heard, Aimee and Charlie covered their ears, apparently only the people on the receiving end could hear them. It screamed in their ears, they crumpled on the ground, it was so loud…

"Too easy!" He laughed. Aimee's eyes were watering, it was so loud…

"_Silencio_!" Charlie said loudly, Jean-Pierre stopped dead, opening and closing his mouth, not able to speak. The piercing shriek stopped.

Jean-Pierre angrily swished his wand at Charlie, he was busy shouting another spell at Lyle, Aimee was throwing a jelly-lock curse at Jean-Pierre, and the bright blue light hit Charlie square in the chest. He gave a short gasp and fell to the floor, clutching his throat, attempting to breathe. Jean-Pierre was choking him! That spell stopped Charlie from breathing…

Aimee was mad. She fixed her attention to Jean-Pierre; if she tried helping Charlie he'd hex her while she tried to help him. Her mind chanted; '_Pyro-incendio_!' She twirled her wand. Pyro-Incendio burned anything that wasn't the target. Which meant Jean-Pierre's clothing.

It was just then, while Aimee wasn't protecting herself, he performed the same spell on Aimee. The blue fire erupting from Aimee's wand reached the knee of Jean-Pierre's jeans, they caught fire, but the spell he had fired, the bright blue light, hit her straight in the chest. She stumbled backward, she looked behind her and saw ocean. The roaring ocean, in the middle of a storm, with huge waves…

She fell in, a wave crashed over her, pushing her down, she was drowning… She blinked; saw Jean-Pierre attempting to put out his burning t-shirt, the blue fire wasn't touching his skin. It was as if it was all in slow-motion, Aimee couldn't hear anything except the crashing of waves.

Her chest was on fire as she blinked again and saw that she was deep in the water, the pressure pushing her down, she couldn't breathe, her lungs were pleading for air, burning away. She blinked the salt out of her eyes; the train hallway was ebbing away…

Her lungs hurt- a lot. She needed air-NOW! Her mind went blank, but she had to do something, anything to end the fight… The blue ocean surrounded her once more; she blindly pointed her wand in front and thought: '_Petrificus_ _Totalus_!'

There was a shriek, she had missed Jean-Pierre, who was jumping everywhere, being desperate; he wasn't very good at non-verbal spells and not being able to speak… Far away, she heard yells, someone calling her name; someone took her shoulders and was shaking her, screaming her name…

But she had hit Marianna, who was attempting to put the fire out of her boyfriend, she had blocked the jelly-lock curse, that shriek had been hers. Gasping for air, she felt invisible water surrounding her, stopping her from breathing air. Her mind clouded over, black surrounded her and she fainted.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Ooh… My head…" She groaned. She blinked a few times, trying to see what that discolored blob in front of her was- Huge, blue eyes. Dark brownish-red hair curling. A wide grin.

"Boo" Whatever was in front of her breathed into her face. She shrieked and backed away.

"BENJI! Never do that again, you hear!" Aimee screamed at Benji's retreating, laughing face.

"Sorry- couldn't resist temptation…" he grinned. Somebody grabbed his shoulder and shoved him away, and Adelaide's face appeared.

"Awake? Good" She sighted. "You really scared me, Aims. Promise you'll never get into a fight again"

"I promise. At least I'll try" Her answer was responded by a glare. "I said I'll try!" She added hurriedly, and looked at her surroundings. She was still in their compartment, lying across three seats. Benji, Charlie, and Adelaide were sitting across from her, Charlie and Adelaide both eating a bar of chocolate.

"Here. This'll help the shock" Charlie tossed a chocolate bar her way. She caught it. "I still don't get why _you're_ eating one. You weren't in the fight" He added, pouting, to Adelaide.

"It helps the shock. I thought that shitting bastard was really trying to kill you" She huffed, biting into her chocolate. Charlie rolled his eyes. "He may be a real git, but believe me, no one's stupid enough to try and kill in a _train_. There's only one spell to kill, anyway"

"The one he tried on you only chokes you until you faint or you do the countercourse, which is kinda hard as you're a bit busy at the moment. It gives the impression of being in the ocean, drowning" Benji, the walking encyclopedia #2, said matter-of-factly.

"What happened after I passed out? Did you?" She added to Charlie, who shook his head. She raised her eyebrows.

"Well, after you set fire to-" Charlie started, but Benji interrupted.

"Which was bloody brilliant! How come I never thought about it!"

"Right. Well, you see, I didn't faint since when I was around 9 or 10, I didn't know how to swim and I fell into the lake next to my house. I started drowning, and if my brother hadn't jumped in after me (he was about 15 at that time), I would've really drowned. It is- in my opinion- one of the most painful ways you can die" He finished simply. "Well, after that, I vowed to learn how to swim, which I did, and be able to hold my breath for a long time. I can up to about a minute and a half. I thought it would come in handy one day"

"It did" Aimee laughed. "You're lucky… How long did I last without breathing?"

"30 seconds. You'll die drowning, Aimee, mark my words" Benji responded, winking. Aimee rolled her eyes.

"How long was I out?" She asked.

"About 10 minutes. Not much" Adelaide answered.

"Serves me right for a little weakling like me" Aimee said, rolling her eyes. "Leave it to me to drown on land"

"Not really. I don't think a weakling would be able to reduce Smith's brand new t-shirt and jeans to half a sleeve and jeans shorts and put a freezing charm on his girlfriend, while being choked and half-blind" Charlie grinned.

"I'd hate to be on the receiving end of your hexes when you aren't blind. Anyway, Nerushay fell on him and her clothes caught fire, too. Well, all she was wearing was a skirt and a short-sleeved shirt, so… let's just say that the Lyle guy had to give her his cloak…" His grin grew wider. "She was screaming all the time, don't see why, her skirt was only burnt half-way, and only the mid-riff of her shirt… She made such a fuss, I swear you couldn't even see anything" He shrugged.

"What happened after I passed out, anyway?"

"All Hell broke loose! Alright, well, after you set fire to Smith, he began jumping around on what you could say was the Chicken Dance; all he needed was some music. Like this"

Here Charlie stood up and did an imitation, jumping around and screaming very chicken-like, tucking his hands under his armpits. Adelaide started chanting the song in Spanish.

_Los pollitos a volar_

_Sus colitas a mover_

_Y alitas aletear_

_Bok, bok, bok!_

Aimee started shrieking with laughter. "And here we have our special presentation of Charlie the Amazing Dancing Chicken! And the Singer, Adelaide! With Special Chicken Moves Help from Benji!" She added as Benji joined in. He stood on the seats and started pecking Aimee's head squawking as he did so (Imagine Jim Carrey doing the impression of the dinosaur in _A series of Unfortunate Events_, people!)

Aimee joined in singing in English, and Benji and Charlie in French. And my, what a beautiful racket it made! One song sang in three different languages, at the same time!

After a while they calmed down, and Charlie continued with his story. "His non-verbal skills haven't improved much, I suppose when he's desperate he can't do it right, since he kept swishing his wand in a non-amazing way" He laughed. "And nothing happened, except that he did it wrong and he exploded some guy's shoes off. There was a whole crowd there, after he tried drowning me. Now that is what I call entertainment!"

"I wish you guys would've taken a picture, then it'd be on the news, saying" She paused, grabbed a quill and put it under her face as a microphone, put on a serious face, and said in her best narrator voice:

"We caught this chicken on video doing the Chicken Dance, an amazing feat no chicken alive has ever been able to, especially if they are on fire, as the alive ones won't stay put and peck you to death if you try to make them dance, and the dead ones you flop around don't count" She waved her hand behind her pretending that they were passing a video of dancing chicken behind her, and continued;

"And the ones that are roasting over the fire don't count as they are not really on fire, as they are at that moment featherless. It also had a stick with it and kept swishing it around, if you ever see it again, keep a good distance from it, as we all know dancing chickens on fire with a stick can be highly dangerous, people. They can explode shoes off, you know" She nodded knowingly at this, containing her laughter, Adelaide was rolling on the floor, tears rolling from her eyes. She started hiccupping.

Benji, who had borrowed Aimee's Translator (it was two-way, from French to English and from English to French) was holding his stomach, laughing hard. And Charlie was slumped on his seat, not being able to breathe from laughter. He was gasping for breath. And now Aimee started laughing, the last line made her crack.

"Anyway, then - I stepped in and saved the day!" Benji stated after they had finished their laughing spree. He stuck out his fist like Superman, "I read a book about those kinds of hexes and did the countercourse, but you had already fainted, so it didn't do much… Anyway, they went away, as our NOT favorite couple was wearing almost nothing, and we carried you in, and then Charlie handed out the chocolate"

"It's like he's an automatic Chocolate-Maker, or something, man! All you so is say, 'Hey, I want chocolate' and POOF! Charlie appears one out of the black hole in his bag and gives it to you" Adelaide joked. (**REAL chocolate, the one you eat, alright?Don't be gross!**)

"Yes, thank you, thank you…" Charlie said, bowing, and pretending to pick up flowers from the floor.

"Well, anyway, enough stupidity-" Aimee started.

"STUPIDITY ROCKS!" Benji yelled.

"I wanted to invite you three over on the summer-I'm not exactly sure where we're staying, I'll write to you about it when I know- for my birthday, so we'll be a pretty big group…" She told them.

"Cool! I'll ask my parents! Hopefully by that time I'll get my Apparating License…" Benji started. "So, with us, your brother, and his friends, how many people?"

"I think… 'Bout 7 people. Not to mention the people who are already there… Oh, well. I'll write to you guys" She shrugged.

"Righty-ho! So now, we're arriving… Time to say our sad farewells- And is that your brother I see?" Charlie peered out the window. "And -oh… Isn't that your… godfather?" He looked at her. It wasn't normal to see supposedly mass murderers waving at your friend, standing next to Harry Potter.

Aimee smiled. Harry had gotten out of school yesterday; he was waiting with Sirius for her!

**A/N: Right. As you noticed, I like having two conversations at once, happening. Like when Benji and Charlie were fighting, and Aimee and Adelaide talking about Apparating. I think it's funny.**

**Try reading Aimee's Chicken Reporting out loud. It'll be funnier that way! I know I laughed. And I wrote it. **

**Well, Aimee got into her first fight. Not too shabby, eh? I think setting fire to the opponent and putting a freezing charm on his girlfriend is quite good, hmm? **

**And yes, C.Y.S, I know you'll kill me for doing all that to Marianna, but, well, she kinda has to do something, doesn't she? And this is VENGEANCE for what you put in you story, MUAHAHA!**


	10. Finally Home

**A/N: I SOWWY! Go ahead! Burn me alive! It's all my fault! Yes, I do realize it's been 2 month, but you can't blame me for wanting a long vacation. Besides, 2 stories were DELETED!**

**The Harry Potter Code, and Radio Marauders! So, I've been checking my first story and editing it, and I'll re-post it when it's finished. There's only been a few small changes. Not to mention they prevented me from uploading for a long period of time.**

**AND MY ARM BROKE. In a skiing accident. So, it's horribly frustrating to write when you're five fingersshort. **

**So now…It's back to the usual weekly update, I swear! I hope…**

**And it was my birthday! Be a deary and review, please! That'd be a nice birthday present!**

**I forgot to mention in earlier chapters that Ginny is taking the potion, too, as she is Harry's girlfriend. She shall become an Animagus, too.**

**Anyways, enjoy! I'm making it extra-long for your… enjoying… (_thinks_) Yeh. Just read…**

The train started slowing down, anxious student's heads stuck out of the windows, a few waving as they spotted their parents.

"Hurry up, you damn train!" Aimee hissed, whacking her fist against the window impatiently.

"My, someone's in a good mood today" Charlie remarked, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, shush" She snapped.

The train came to a halt with a loud _Scree_! Students started pouring out like water from a broken jug, calling to their parents and saying their goodbyes to friends. A few 'Mom, Dad' callings were heard. An excited chatter broke through the air. Aimee couldn't help smiling. She was finally getting to see Harry today!

"Come on!" Benji urged, tugging at his luggage, motioning for the rest of them to hurry up. They dragged their luggage down the hallway of the train, and down the steps, each banging a soft _thump_ every time it hit a step. They walked a little farther, out of the way of the train, and the assign students.

"Aimee!" She whipped her head around at the sound of her name. A certain black-haired, green-eyed brother was advancing, pushing against the crowd, towards her.

"Harry!" She shrieked back, grinning widely. She dropped her luggage and whirled her arms around Harry's neck. Darn, he'd grown. How the hell did he always manage to stay a perfect two inches taller than her!

Harry lost his balance with her hug, but managed to stay on foot. Over Harry's shoulder Aimee saw someone else she wanted to see… but maybe not two feet from her face and in the air.

A big, black dog sailed through the air, Aimee could see him in slow-motion, and then (slow-motion's over) landed with its two front paws squarely on Harry's shoulders, his back to it, and knocked him over.

Therefore knocking Aimee over, too. And over her trunk, too. Her back to her trunk, the sudden weight made her fall back, tripping over it (it was as high as her knees), pulling Harry with her (Sirius was already in the air, anyway), and, my! What a nice People Knot it made! Like knocking over Dominoes!

"Harry. You're sitting on me!" Aimee gasped from under Harry. _Let me breath!_ Aimee thought. He tried to.

"Erm, Aimee? I'll go to my parents…" Adelaide's voice said. Aimee choked out an ok. Benji had gone off to his parents, and Charlie had been mobbed by his, asking WAY too many times if he was ok.

He had answered: "I'm fine!" Over and over again, pissed off.

"Sirius is on me!" Harry hissed back, somewhere to her right. Apparently he had fallen across her stomach, face first, with our favorite extremely heavy dog sitting joyously on Harry's back. How nice family reunions are!

"Sirius, get OFF! Or no Scooby Biscuits for you!" Aimee said over to the dog, hoping sarcasm would work.

Apparently Sirius liked taking joy from sitting on people. They are comfy chairs, you know. Lotsa flesh. So Squishiful.

Then Harry placed his hands on the cement floor. He heaved with all his might up (he wouldn't have been able to do that a year ago, Aimee thought), and knocked the black dog over. It gave a sudden, surprised yelp, and fell off.

Sirius whined. His tail whapped joyously from side to side, his tongue out, panting happily.

"Why is he a dog?" Aimee asked Harry, raising her eyebrows at Sirius, whom, she as sure, blushed, but all that black fur blocked it. Not that dogs could blush, anyway.

"Seems Sirius here still can't get over crowds…" Harry whispered loudly enough for her to hear, grinning. Sirius gave a small growl. "It's quite annoying, really, talking to him and people staring, all like 'Oh my goodness! It's Harry Potter! And he's talking to a dog! Picture Spree!" He pretended to take pictures madly, saying the last words in a pip-squeak voice.

Aimee couldn't blame Sirius; there were quite a lot of people out there that either believed he was guilty, or just liked to whisper behind his back. And he still needed to restore his confidence that people weren't against him… especially in a place where he didn't even speak the language.

"So, how are you? Everything ok? Didn't get eaten by angry polar bears or anything?" Harry asked her, grinning, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"Well, it was only _once_! And it wasn't _my_ fault!" Aimee said, pretending to be guilty.

"I forgive you" Harry said with a mock sigh and a pat on the shoulder.

Aimee gave a sigh of mock relief. "Oh, good" she said. Sirius barked.

"What?" They asked at the same time. Sirius barked again. "Sorry, I don't speak dog" Harry said, obviously enjoying himself. Annoying Sirius was fun! He turned to Aimee, as if Sirius wasn't on the verge to bite him.

"So, really, how did it go?" Harry asked, this time seriously. He took her by the shoulders and examined her as a Mrs. Weasley would to one of her sons (or Ginny).

Sirius gave a bark of agreement. Before she could answer, Harry chirped happily at the dog; "You wanted to come here like that, so you don't get to ask anything! It's your own fault you can't transform!"

"Oh, come on, Harry, you can't blame him! It should take some time to gain people's trust again" Aimee told him. But she knew how annoyed Harry was at having a dog for company. Sirius gave a sympathetic whine. He cocked his head to one side. Then again, Sirius was being very annoying with the dog thing…

"Anyways, I'm fine. A teeny tiny weeny fight in the train, but everything was fine" She said before Harry could respond to her defending Sirius.

"A _fight_? What did you do?" He asked suspiciously.

"Oh, this and that, nothing much…" Aimee said lightly, hoping Harry would buy it. Ooh, how she loved making him wait…

"What? What did you do?" Harry asked exasperatedly, getting excited and annoyed. Sirius wagged his tail furiously.

"Fine. I set the guy on fire"

"_You set the guy on fire_?"

Sirius's tail whapped against their legs violently.

"It was kind of an accident… I really didn't mean to…"

"An accident… in a spell fight? _Right_"

"Er… I kinda did… and I didn't think about it… it was that spell that doesn't hurt people, you know. So it only burned his clothes"

"Only?"

"And his girlfriend's, too"

"Nice" Harry rolled his eyes. Sirius barked, reared on his hind legs, and placed his heavy paws on Aimee's shoulders, panting on her face, as if to say: 'Oh, _do_ tell, _do_ tell!'

A few people began whispering, obviously paying attention to the fact that there were two famous people in the around.

"Ok, so it was like this; You see, the Jean-Pierre dude came in our compartment for no reason at all, and started being al mean and stuff, and saying I was a coward"- Here Sirius growled- "He was being so annoying, and he tempted me to a fight. Charlie suggested a two on two battle, don't know why, though,"- Harry coughed, and Sirius gave a soft growl/purr (or something of the sort)- ", it should've been only me and Jean-Pierre, but then again, they're both enemies… So, anyway, and then we battled… but then he used this spell to choke us"- Here Sirius gave a very audible growl- "and Adelaide and Benji jumped in, and I accidentally, while choking, set him on fire. And his girlfriend, Marianna, got in the way and her clothes caught fire, too, and then I passed out because they were too late to take off the spell, and then he went away because they were practically wearing nothing at all, and then I woke up!" She finished quickly.

"Woah. Nice fight"

Sirius barked.

"Anyway, let's go…" She started to say, then realized something. "Where exactly are we going?"

"Grimmauld Place. Ron will be there in a week or so, since the Burrow isn't that safe, and Hermione in about two or three… That's why they aren't here. Oh, and we're taking classes on DADA. Dumbledore says we need them. Moody'll be teaching us, sometimes Dumbledore, sometimes Sirius… few people. We can't have a definite professor" Harry said, grabbing one end of the trunk. Sirius gave a whine that he did NOT want to go back to Grimmauld Place.

"But first… we have to go to Privet Drive. We're living with Sirius now, so we don't have to live with the Dursleys, but…" Harry suddenly said, and he mumbled something.

"Oh… So we get your things?" Aimee understood.

"… Yeah."

"This has gotta be fun" Aimee added maliciously. "Do they know about me?"

"Well, technically, no" Harry gave her an evil grin, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, dear sister?"

"Oh, yes, dear brother"

"Perfect"

"Bark!"

"Hang on… I'll go say goodbye to my friends, alright? Oh, and I was thinking… maybe I could invite them over to Grimmauld Place? For our birthday? Please?" Aimee begged.

Sirius gave a thoughtful growl, and nodded his head slowly, as if to say that he'll think about it.

"Thanks. Be right back!"

Harry watched her go, letting go of the end of the trunk he had picked up. About half the people were gone, he noticed, so he sat on the trunk to wait for Aimee, and Sirius joined him.

Harry watched as she waved over a pretty curly-haired girl, they exchanged a few words, gave each other a kiss in the cheek, and talked a bit more. Another boy, a slightly shorter red-head, joined them and pretended to be dainty, imitating the girls kissing each other's cheeks, andtalking in a high-pitched loud voice that Harry could hear, though he didn't understand what he was saying.

The high-pitched voice attracted another boy with brown hair, who was laughing at the red-head, and bopped him on the head. Finally they said goodbye, and Harry was surprised that Aimee could actually speak fluent French.

_Well, duh, she spent the last five and a half months in France, freak_, A sarcastic voice sounded in his head_… Hang on. Freak? Why am I calling myself freak? Great, I must be going insane now._

After hugs and kisses were exchanged, they parted. The brown-haired boy went off with his paranoid-like parents (they whisked him away as if he were to break a nail or something), he was complaining to them about their paranoidness, he red-head waved furiously at the curly-haired girl's sister's friends, and the curly haired girl went off with her sister, and her sister's friends waved and leaved.

Then Aimee came back. Harry feigned sleep, and Sirius followed his lead, his back on the trunk, and his legs straight up on the air.

"Oh, come on, it wasn't that long!" Aimee said, flustered. Harry snored a bit, then shot up, 'waking up' with a start.

"Sorry? Didn't catch you there" Rubbing his eyes, then blinking furiously as if to clear them, he blinked one last time and looked at her hard.

"Oh, stop being so annoying! Let's go, the sooner we go, the sooner we get over it" Aimee said, frustrated.

Sirius gave a bark, and hopped off her trunk. Harry helped Aimee lift her trunk up off the floor, muttering that if Sirius had been wise and come in human form, he could've helped them with their trunk.

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Half an hour later, after Sirius had finally accepted he could turn back to human, Aimee's trunk miniaturized, put in her pocket (she had changed to a jeans skirt and a t-shirt like Harry, except he had jeans), they did Side-Along Apparition, and were now standing on the front door step of Privet Drive. This was going to be fun.

Harry rang the doorbell, and Sirius asked where that little bell-like sound came from. Harry snorted back laughter and Aimee bit her lip. And the door opened.

A surprised Petunia almost screamed, but she called for Vernon. "What are you doing here?" She asked in a shrill voice, her bulgy eyes becoming even bulgier.

"To pick up a few things. I didn't take everything to Hogwarts" Harry said. This was partly true. He had left behind three socks and some old fifth year books, which didn't matter at all, but…

"And to get your blessing, Aunt Petunia" Aimee said in a soft, sad voice, lowering her head to make her statement more dramatic. Harry elbowed her in the ribs.

"Who are you?" Petunia asked her rudely. Then her eyes wandered over to Sirius, who was watching the whole scenario with a rather bemused look on his face.

"Harry's twin sister!" Aimee answered brightly. "Oh, yeah… you didn't know?"

"VERNON!" Petunia shrieked. Vernon came rampaging over, Dudley behind him. Dudley took one look at the people at the door, squeaked, and waddled away.

"Wow, he is fat" Aimee muttered under her breath to Harry. He stifled a laugh.

"What are you doing here?" Vernon barked at them.

"Just coming by for a few of Harry's forgotten things, Vernon" Sirius said lightly, leaning against the door frame. "Are you going to let us in?" He asked expectantly, raising an eyebrow.

Vernon opened and closed his mouth in bewilderment, knowing that Harry and this strange girl weren't able to do magic, but having a dangerous murderer on his doorstep who could was really not good.

"Be quick" He grunted and opened the door wider. Petunia watched fearfully behind him.

"Thanks" Aimee smiled sweetly at them.

"But they can't come in" Vernon added quickly to Aimee and Sirius.

"Excuse me?" Sirius said, taken aback.

"I-I said, you can't e-enter" He babbled, obviously regretting his decision. Dudley poked his head from the living room.

"Hey, Dudley" Aimee called from the doorway. "How come _you_ can't do any magic? Harry and I can, so why can't you, if you're our cousin?" Ooh, they'd chuck her out the building for that. Thank God Sirius was here.

Dudley, looking about to faint, disappeared almost immediately.

"Don't you dare talk to him!" Vernon snarled at Aimee, grabbing her wrist. "And don't say the 'M' under my household" He growled.

"With all respect, Vernon, _let go of my goddaughter_" Sirius said in a very, very low voice. Vernon let go of her wrist (Aimee almost started laughing at the look on his face), with a frightened look on his face, since Sirius had whipped out his wand.

"Good. Now we'll accompany Harry upstairs" Sirius said shortly, and walked up the stairs with his godchildren. "Oh, this is fun…" He said under his breath to them, and Harry hastily turned his laugh to a violent cough.

"So, should we levitate your things so we won't have to carry them down the stairs? Then we could just have them flying next to us when we go back" Aimee started loudly.

"You can't do magic outside school!" Petunia said shrilly.

"After your 6th year you can" Sirius straight-down lied, not casting them a glance. Well, it was partly true… if you were 17. They went up the stairs and into Harry's so-called room.

"This was your room?" Sirius asked, looking around.

"Well, yeah" Harry answered. He picked up a few things, like forgotten socks and old books. "Done" He said. Aimee and Sirius raised their eyebrows.

"You have three socks, a book, and half a muffin" Sirius pointed out, raising an eyebrow. "Is that what we came for?"

"Not all…" Harry grinned. "Come on" He beckoned them to follow him. Vernon was still standing by the open door, making sure they exited.

"Get out of my house!" He growled when he saw them.

"Fine. Just one more thing" Harry said shortly as he walked out the door. He turned around, whipped out his wand, pointed it at the inside part of the house and cried: "Shaka-laka BOOM!" He waved his wand around a bit more than necessary.

Petunia screamed, Vernon dove to the floor, and Dudley, who had once again stuck his head out of the living room, yelped and tripped on his own two big feet.

Nothing happened.

Except for Sirius, who was coughing loudly, probably trying to cover his laughter. Vernon peeked out from the floor, and Dudley made a stupid: "Huh?" noise from the living room.

"Good. Should take about…" Harry looked at his watch. "Ten minutes for it to start working…"

"Huzza-WAH!" He said suddenly, pointing his wand at Vernon and waving it. "And you… your face should start turning green in about 5 more minutes… maybe not to your family, but the rest of the world will be able to see…" Harry pretended to be talking to himself, saying it quite loudly. Then, he turned back, and looked over his shoulder. "I'd get out of the house before the flood starts!" He called.

And then they did Side-Along Apparition with Sirius.

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"Harry, you're a bloody genius!" Aimee exclaimed once they apparated in Grimmauld Place. They concentrated hard and Sirius's house appeared.

"Why, thank you" Harry grinned, bowing.

"How to Scare the Neighbors by Pretending to Do Magic… Volume 1" Sirius rolled his eyes. "That was priceless"

"Thank you, thank you" Harry said, bowing over and over again as they entered.

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_Two and a half Weeks Later…_

"Yes! Hermione's finally arriving today!" Aimee announced over breakfast. She was seated at the kitchen table with the twins, her brother, Ginny, and Ron.

"What? You don't like us?" George said, pouting.

"Oh, come on, it's fun, but every single day with boys is sometimes a bit too much" Aimee said. For the last week and a half, she had been spending every single day with Harry and Ron, since Ron had arrived before, then the whole Weasley family came to stay about three days ago, a week after Ron's arrival. So now Ginny could be with her.

Except for the time she spent with Harry. Aimee bit her lip every time she passed them kissing, resisting the temptation to interrupt them and ask them when they were getting married.

She had done well so far in resisting temptations. Except Ron, because he said it was bloody annoying. Until Harry pointed out the 'romance' between him and Hermione.

Ron shut up ever since. But Aimee could see he was happy that he was going to reunite with his kissing partner again.

Something nipped at the back of her head that reminded her she didn't have a boyfriend. But she told herself she'd find someone in time. Maybe during 7th year, or something. There was always a possibility she'd hook up with one of the twins, or David, or Arthur. But she doubted it. Or maybe… someone else.

"I've been here!" Ginny protested, taking her glass of orange juice and sipping it.

"For three days, Ginny. That's so much" Aimee said, rolling her eyes. "And you've been spending time with a certain someone I know…" She grinned. Harry blushed. Ginny grinned back, her cheeks a tiny bit red.

_God, Harry's so easy embarrass_, she thought. _He turns red at any teeny weeny comment about his love life._

"But it's good she's still coming" Ginny said, putting down her empty glass.

"Now she can suffer with us during classes. Who takes classes during the summer? We should be going to the beach or something!" Ron said, stuffing his face with pancakes.

"I doubt she'd mind about them" Ginny said, smiling and rolling her eyes.

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_Three hours Later…_

"Hermione! Absolutely _darling _to see you!" Fred cried in a high-pitched voice as Hermione entered, carrying her luggage.

"Can't believe you're finally here, I'm just so happy!" George said in an equally girly voice as his brother's, seizing Hermione by her shoulder, smooshing her against him, and petting (literally) her on the side of her head, running his hand forcefully against her face. (Like my brother used to when I was a baby and him 2 years old) "I was so worried!"

"Oh, come on, stop!" Hermione laughed, noticing they were the only ones there to greet her, they had been passing by the entrance. "Where are the others, by the way?" She asked.

"Should we tell her, Fred?" George said in a sorrowful voice, still petting Hermione's head.

"I don't think so, dear brother" Fred said sadly, shaking his head. "The cruel truth might depress her"

"You haven't told them I'm here yet?" Hermione asked, raising her eyebrows. The twins ignored her.

"Oh, yes, I quite agree" George said, matter-of-factly, petting Hermione's head.

"You haven't told them I'm here yet" Hermione stated, sighting.

"Hermione! How good to see you!" Mrs. Weasley's voice rang out from the kitchen. "You're just in time for lunch!"

"Dang. Plan terminated" Fred said, looking exaggeratedly sad.

"Oh, leave her alone, Fred, George, and let her eat" She snapped at the twins, who put on innocent faces, and released the captive- Uh, I mean Hermione. Yeah, Hermione. "Come on, dear" She added to the capti- Hermione.

"Hermione!" Ginny cried when she saw her.

"Hey, guys! It's so good to see you!" She smiled.

"Come on, sit down and eat" Ron offered the seat next to her. How Cute. Aimee hid her grin by seizing her glass of water and drinking.

She could do some teasing later. Oh, yes, very, very much… Maybe Sirius could help her. He had told her how much he had teased her father when they were at Hogwarts.

But not much.

Or maybe she would.

**A/N: There's yer chappy! Please review as a special birthday present!**


	11. DADA Lesson by Snape

**A/N: Here you go! A good chappy in the middle of the summer! (too bad it's winter for us…) Hope you like it!**

The next day, Aimee was walking through the house for a lesson with Snape. Harry had to go to a separate lesson with Moody, as he was learning something a bit more difficult, so Aimee at least had Ron and Hermione to suffer with.

They were using one of the millions of empty chambers in the huge house, which seemed as old as Dumbledore. Probably more. Snape was sitting on a moldy old chair, waiting for them, his foot tapping impatiently.

"You're late" He replied coldly as she entered.

"But you said we were meeting at four-thir-" Aimee started to protest, but Snape cut her off.

"It's four-thirty five. You are _late_" He repeated.

Aimee resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. _But then again, he can't give us detention, or take off house points, or make us do anything else_… Aimee thought. _Perfect_.

Ron and Hermione were already there, Hermione looking ready for anything, Ron just plain bored. So much for a fun class.

"Today we will learn a curse that may save your lives one day" Snape started importantly, standing up.

"No… way" Ron said sarcastically. Snape shot him a look that plainly said he would drown him in the toilet if he kept it up.

"Yes way!" Aimee answered, nodding her head vigorously. Snape gave Aimee an even more dangerous glare. He decided to ignore her.

"It is called _Suffori Oceani_" Snape continued. "Does anybody know what that is?" He asked.

"Something to do with the ocean?" Ron asked, examining his nails. Snape's eye twitched. Aimee could tell he was annoyed, but he chose to ignore Ron.

"Granger. What does the spell do?" Snape demanded Hermione. Hermione looked taken aback.

"I…don't know" Hermione said slowly, shrugging.

"What do you mean; _I don't know_?" Snape hissed dangerously.

"Well, it usually means the person doesn't know whatever you're talking about" Ron spoke up, saying the words slowly and cautiously as if speaking to a three-year-old. Snape's eyes flashed dangerously.

"Don't fool around, Weasley. I could stop the class right now and you will never learn the curse. I have better things to do than try to get through the thick minds of a couple of teenagers" Snape said coldly. Ron shrugged.

"Well, as Ron said, it probably has something to do with the ocean, and maybe…. suffering?" Hermione guessed tentatively.

"It is _Saffori Oceani_" Ron shrugged.

"_Suffori Oceani_!" Snape snapped, his eye twitching.

"Right. So what does it do?" Ron asked, not the least bit bothered.

Snape pursed his lips. Then he began; "It suffocates you. It doesn't let you breath until you faint, and creates an ocean in the mind of the-"

"Oh, yeah! That's the spell the Jean-Pierre dude put on me!" Aimee interrupted.

"Really?" Hermione asked. "How does he know such advanced magic?"

"Dunno, probably researched it or something-" Aimee started to answer, when Snape rudely interrupted her.

"_Pay attention_!"

"Well, so-_rry_. But I thought our _many_ classmates ought to know how it feels" Aimee said, pretending to be hurt, and crossing her arms. Inside, she was laughing. How fun it was to annoy Snape!

Snape rubbed his temples. Aimee could've sworn he was muttering; "Patience, Severus, patience…"

"So… you say; _Suffori Oceani_? Is that the spell?" Hermione said helpfully.

"_Yes_" Snape said through clenched teeth.

"Righty-ho." Ron said, and gave his wand a flick. "_Safari Moshani_!" He cried.

BOOM!

There was a loud noise, and the wall blew up, leaving a hole.

"_Idiot boy, what have you done_?" Snape shrieked dangerously, grabbing Ron by his ear and shaking him.

"I was trying the spell! What's wrong with practicing?" Ron yelped, trying to free himself.

Just then, through the hole in the wall, small, 5-inch-high blue monkeys started to appear. They made high-pitched chattering noises, and started wreaking havoc around the room. Hermione suppressed a laugh.

"Cool! How'd you do that?" Aimee asked, taking one of the miniature, blue monkeys. It gave her hand a cuddle.

Ron grinned. "Easy, all you do is-" Snape clamped a hand over Ron's mouth, his lip curling.

"_Safari_-" Aimee started, waving her wand as Ron had done, but Snape moved so fast he didn't let her finish, he clamped a hand over her mouth, too, still dragging Ron with him, who, being as tall as Snape, over-balanced them and Snape lost his footing, but, unfortunately, regained it. It must've looked comical since Hermione coughed/giggled, covering her mouth.

_Safari Moshani_! Aimee said in her mind. She finished the flick she had started, like Ron had done.

BOOM!

"POTTER!" Snape yelled in her ear. Aimee flinched. Hermione was coughing violently (yeah, right) as she watched the three of them and the surrounding blue monkeys.

"Yes, Mr. Snape, sir?" She asked meekly.

"DON'T DO ANY SPELLS WITHOUT BEING TOLD TO!" Snape yelled once again in her ear, making her deaf for a few moments. Hermione gave up and started laughing freely.

There was a sudden new chatter in the air. Pink monkeys, as small as the first, were emerging from the hole in the wall Aimee had created.

The blue one that had been just about to bite Snape's hand of her shoulder stopped. He gave a soft coo.

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"And then-and then, you guys won't believe it- the pink monkeys and the blue ones… they-they…" Ron started laughing. He laughed so much he couldn't continue the story about what had happened in their class, in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place.

Sirius grinned. "What, what?" He asked impatiently.

"They started mating!" Hermione finished, sitting down, laughing, watching Aimee roll on the floor, breathless.

"_They started mating_?" Ginny, asked in disbelief. She broke into laughter, leaning against the wall for support.

"Yeah! You wouldn't _believe_ the look on the face of Snape! He literally pulled us out of the classroom and threw us out the door! Then he slammed it all angry and stalked off!" Aimee said breathlessly from the floor.

"I never thought I'd be sorry I didn't take classes with you guys!" Ginny laughed, clutching her stomach.

"You really are priceless…" Sirius said, shaking his head, and rolling his eyes. He slumped against the wall.

"Say, Ron, you wouldn't mind if you took us to the room you just practiced in? We want to get some of those monkeys and breed them" Fred said, coming into the kitchen.

"You know, for Wizard Weasley's Wheezes" George added.

"Yeah, sure. Maybe later, it's dinnertime now" Ron said, shrugging. "But I doubt they'd be good pets. They were made by magic, after all…" he added.

The twins shrugged.

"Dinnertime!" Mrs. Weasley shouted from the kitchen.

"So… where's Harry?" Sirius asked.

"Still with Moody, I suppose" Aimee answered, shrugging. She sat down next to Hermione.

Mrs. Weasley brought in the supper and they started eating. A while later, Harry appeared.

"Hey, guys… What'd I miss?" Harry asked, strolling into the room, and sitting down.

"Pink and blue monkeys" Ron said automatically, stuffing his face with potatoes. He started choking. Hermione gave him a whack on the back.

"What?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Ron conjured some blue monkeys, and _Aimee_ here decided to disrupt the class even _more_ and conjured pink monkeys" Hermione explained, rolling her eyes.

"In other words, it was another We-Like-to-Annoy-Snape Club meeting?" Harry asked, grinning.

"Yep!" Ron grinned.

Hermione rolled her eyes. Again.

"So, what did _you_ do?" Ginny asked Harry from across the table.

"Just… some theory" Harry said, shrugging.

"Sounds boring" Ginny said, smiling at Harry. He smiled back.

"Maybe not"

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"You _will _pay attention in this class" Snape told them through gritted teeth. The three of them nodded. It was the next morning, Harry was with Moody, and Dumbledore had somehow convinced Snape to try again.

And he had spoken with Ron and Aimee to threat them that if they didn't get their bums in gear and paid attention, they'd really get in trouble.

Okay, so he didn't say exactly _that_. It would freak anybody out if Dumbledore said that. But he might as well have. It was more along the lines; "Professor Snape did accept to teach you and you should be grateful for it because he could be on a mission right now and you wouldn't have a teacher"

So… in other words, they were stuck with Snape again.

"We will try again" Snape said. "Potter and Granger, the two of you will be partners. Weasley is with _me._The wand movement is like this" He swished his wand, as if drawing waves with it. Hermione and Aimee nodded. Ron looked as if the end of the world was near.

He pretended to gag while Snape had his back to him. Hermione gave him a warning look.

"What's the counter course?" Hermione asked. Snape turned around to look at her through narrowed eyes.

"Well, when we manage it, it'd be better if we knew the countercourse so you wouldn't have to wait for us to wake up" Hermione shrugged.

"I'll be in charge of that, Miss Granger" Snape said coldly. Hermione shrugged.

"Ok, so it's _Suffori Oceani_, right?" Aimee asked Hermione.

"Yes, and say the words exactly like they're supposed to be, I don't want to get run over by an elephant" Hermione snapped, giving her a warning look.

"Fine, fine. Who goes first?"

"Go ahead" Hermione said wearily.

"Alright…_ Suffori Oceani_!" Aimee cried, hoping not to hurt her friend, and swishing her wand like Snape did.

Hermione gave a sudden gasp, and seized her throat, but didn't drop to the floor like Aimee and Charlie had on the train. She gulped, her eyes watering.

"You're almost there… I felt my lungs blocked for a second, but it went away… I suppose you really weren't into choking me?" Hermione said.

"Well, no" Aimee said guiltily. "Your turn"

"_Suffori Oceani_!" Hermione said, pronouncing the words perfectly well, and swishing her wand like Snape had.

Aimee started choking and not breathing, but just for a few seconds. Then her eyes cleared and she could breathe again.

"That was good!" She wheezed, while bended over and taking deep breaths. "At least better than me"

"I didn't hurt you or anything bad, did I?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"No, I'm fine now" Aimee said, getting up. "I wish there was an easier way to learn it than cursing your friends" Aimee said, watching Snape scold Ron over how useless he was.

"Maybe…" Hermione started, grinning. "Maybe there's another way…"

"Three against one?" Aimee raised her eyebrow.

"Well, when you try cursing someone you care about, it usually doesn't work that very well" Hermione said.

Aimee grinned. "On three..."

"One…Two…Three! _Suffori Oceani_!" The girlswhispered together, pointing their wands at Snape's back.

Snape made a choking noise and stopped yelling at Ron, who looked confused.

"I can't believe I missed!" Hermione shrieked hysterically, putting the palms of her hands to her cheeks in mock fright.

"What's the counter-course? What's the counter course?" Aimee joined in the same hysterical voice.

"What the hell?" Ron asked, taken aback, furrowing his eyebrows..

"He didn't tell us! Oh, no!" Hermione said loudly for Snape to hear, sheranover to the choking Snape in slow-motion.

"Professor Snape! No! You must resist! Keep breathing!" Hermione yelled dramatically, flapping her arms in slow motion. Snape's eyes were closing…

"You… must… resist...! No, Snape…! Live…" Hermione was making her voice softer and slower with each word. Snape's eyes closed.

"Noooo…"Hermione added in a delighted whisper. There was a few second's silence.

"You are _good_! Where'd you get all the dramatic-ness?" Aimee asked, impressed. Hermione got up.

"Movies, of course. Ever watched _Matrix_?" Hermione grinned.

"Oh, yeah!" Aimee answered, returning the grin.

Ron laughed and rolled his eyes.

"Well, we better revive him" Aimee said, giving a sigh.

"Who says we have to? He's unconscious, he doesn't know what time it is" Ron said. Aimee stopped and put her wand back in the pocket of her hoodie sweater.

"First, we can do a little somethin' somethin' to his face" Ron started. "We can wait all the time we want, all we have to do is rewind that clock" He pointed to the clock in the far left corner, "back to quarter past ten"

"Ron…" Hermione started.

"Oh, come on, Hermione, you have to play a prank at least _once _in your life!" Ron pleaded.

"I say we do it" Aimee said, smiling and taking her wand out again.

"Right on!" Ron smirked. "Now, which spell would you ladies like to use?"

Hermione sighted, took a deep breath, and said quietly; "I know this spell that makes the hair have a green shade to it"

Aimee and Ron stared. Hard. At Hermione. Their mouths were open. Ron closed and opened it a few times. Looking like a complete fish, may I add.

"Oh, you are _so_ evil!" Aimee laughed.

Hermione bent over Snape and muttered a spell, waving her wand. A few hairs began to glow, then they started to turn a soft shade of green, and then the rest of his head gave a faint glow, turning to a black-green. If you didn't know what they had done to his head, then you'd think that Snape must've forgotten his monthly shampooing. It wasn't much, but it was still a bit green.

"Perfect. I am _such_ an evil genius" Hermione grinned.

"Hang on…" Ron started. He waved his hand at Snape's robes, and on the back of his robes appeared the words; "KICK ME"

Aimee sniggered.

"Well, that's enough. I don't want to get into _too_ much trouble" Hermione said, getting up.

"Party Pooper" Aimee said under her breath. Hermione gave her a mock glare.

"Reviving Time!" Ron declared. He walked over to the clock and rewinded it ten minutes. He then waved his hand at Snape.

He groaned, and picked himself from the floor, and then he looked around at them all.

"Granger" He said dangerously to Hermione. "_What happened_?" he asked her in a deadly whisper.

"I… missed?" Hermione said in a guessing tone.

"You… _missed_?" Snape's eyes twitched.

"Aimee was right in front of you and she moved" Hermione lied, her face completely straight. Ron was pretending to kick Snape from behind.

Aimee coughed, trying to hide her laughter. Snape turned to look at her. "It was an accident!" Aimee said innocently. Ron was pretending to be Snape choking.

"It better be" Snape said in the same scary tone, glaring at her. "Class dismissed"

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"How come Snape has a huge KICK ME sign on his back?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrows, watching Snape go by.

"Thank you, Harry, for complimenting my artwork" Ron responded, bowing.

"What did you do, tie him up and gag him?" Harry snorted. "And then then force the information by graffiti-ing him?"

"Close" Hermione grinned.

"Please tell me Hermione didn't have a part in this?" Harry said, giving Hermione a look.

"Too late, already did" Aimee chirped.

"Let's go kick Snape!" Ron said enthustisiastically.

"Right on!" Harry grinned.

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"How I hate Snape…" Aimee muttered under her breath the next morning. It was just him to realize what they did to him, and gave them TEN curses and jinxes to learn over the next three weeks, including Harry. "Seriously, I would've thought that the explanation of 'there was a 'kick me' sign on your back so we kicked you' would've worked"

He gave them each a copy of a book that contained the words of each one, and the wand movements. He said that he was going on a mission and they better learn them by the time he was back.

"I hope he falls off a cliff on his stupid mission" Ron muttered.

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_Three weeks later_…

"I learned the last of the spells!" Aimee cried, excitedly as she had finally done the spell perfectly.

"Great, now we can go find Snape and jinx him for ruining the last week of June and the first of July" Ron said, picking up his wand.

"I'm with you" Harry and Aimee said almost immediately, at the same time, getting up themselves.

"Damn teacher" Harry narrowed his eyes, annoyed.

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One day, around mid-June, she found Harry leaning on the balcony, watching the sun set.

"Hey" Aimee said, walking next to him. A little something told her he wasn't happy. Apart from the fact she could feel it herself, his face was downcast, thoughtful, and his eyes had a sad look in them.

"What's wrong?" She asked, leaning on the balcony next to him.

"Nothing…" Harry said softly.

"You know you can't hide these kinds of things from your sister, Harry, I know you. What's wrong?" Aimee repeated.

"The last few days… while you were with Snape…" Harry started. Aimee cocked her head to the side. Harry sighted, deciding to start over.

"I learned _Avada Kedavra _today. I can do it without any trouble" He said softly. Aimee didn't say anything, she just stared a him. A few seconds passed.

"I know I have to kill Voldemort. That's …what I was _born_ to do, it's what I'm _supposed_ to do" He said, shrugging. Aimee looked at him intently.

"But if I have to kill somebody, I don't want it to be by force. If I have to kill Voldemort, I want there to be a reason behind the murder. Killing for just some prophesy is, to me, plain stupid" He continued.

"And I ask myself; … Is this all I'll do with my life? Kill some goon and hope I survive? Is this all people will see me as when I die? Just… another… hero?" He asked nobody. He looked at his sister, shaking his head.

"I feel as if… as if I start killing, I won't be able to stop. What if I liked all that power, and became a murderer, like Voldemort? I don't want power to change me, Aimee" He looked back at the sunset. It was almost over. Aimee looked at it, too. The last bit of the sun was disappearing.

The sun was a delicious golden color, one which can't be painted, or colored, or photographed. It's that color of the sun that you can only see when you look at it, or remember in your memories. The outline had a blood-red color, which turned to a softer pink-purple as it turned to sky. The few clouds out had pink outline. Behind the clouds, there was a dark blue color.

Suddenly, the sun set completely, and night came, leaving only a trail of pink, yellow, and blue outlining the black mountains. Stars started to appear.

"I don't… want to kill anybody. I don't want to hurt anybody. I don't want to become… Voldemort. Killing is taking away a life. Once it's done, it's done. Whoever I killed won't come back" Harry said quietly, disturbing the silence they had been sharing.

"Hey" Aimee put her arm around his shoulders. "You know I'll be there for you _every_ step of the way. Always. I swear I'll be there when you face Voldemort, even if I have to get past all of the Death Eaters" Shesaid, looking at him and smiling, as if inviting him to smile back.He looked at her and returned the smile. "I promise" She said.

Harry showed her his fist, sticking out his pinky finger.

"Pinky Swear?"

"Pinky Swear" Aimee assured him, linking her little finger with his.

**A/N: Thought I'd end the chapter with a serious scene... Now, review, because with a broken arm it's very hard to type, and I really have to make an effort, so review or I'll update every two weeks instead of one!**

**Next Chapter (in a week IF you review): Harry and Aimee's birthday! Guess who's coming over to celebrate with them!**


	12. You Smell like DogDoo

**A/N: Somebody's birthday is heeeeeeeere! Guess who?**

Aimee opened her eyes. She squinted in the morning sun's light, putting up her hand to block the light.

"What a bizarre dream…" She muttered. Something about Ginny, Hermione, and Harry? She couldn't really recall.

Peeling her eyes open, she sat up. The room she shared with Hermione and Ginny was lit up with sunlight. Of course it was only her side. So much for 'I like beds next to windows.'

She gave a sigh and stopped in mid-sigh as her eyes widened at what lay at the foot of the bed. _Parcels_.

"What the bloody hell are those damn packages doing on my bed at the crack of dawn?" Aimee muttered. Curse that morning light!

"Wait. Parcels. Morning. 31st of July…" Aimee's eyes widened. She put the pieces together. "My birthday" She grinned.

This was going to be fun. Oh, wait… she'd overheard Hermione telling Ginny they should wake her up by singing 'Happy Birthday' to her. Better feign sleep. No… those packages… her presents… they were calling her! She could almost hear them saying 'Aimee… OPEN ME!' at her. And then there was the other saying 'NO! Open ME first!'

Darn those presents. They were all calling her name and commanding her to open it first.

"Ok… I am imagining brown packages talking to me. Great. I must be going insane now…" Aimee muttered. She buried herself under the covers and fell asleep again. Now if it weren't for that cursed light…

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"On three, ok? One… Two… Three!" A hushed girl's voice said.

"Happy Birthday to YOU!" Ginny screeched at the top of her lungs. Aimee opened her eyes.

"You smell like dog-DOO!" Hermione yelled. Aimee sat up and laughed.

"You think you'll get your wa-aaaay!" Ginny started.

"We'll take your presents, any-WAY!" Both girls finished, flapping their arms wildy. Ginny and Hermione seized random presents from the pile. Ginny cackled evilly.

"Happy Birthday!" They both yelled at once, shaking the packages wildly.

"Aww, you guys! Tha-" Aimee started, smiling, but Ginny cut her off.

"Not finished!" She chirped, waving the package she had grabbed around.

"Let the cookies rain!" Hermione shrieked happily. She pulled a rope that was hanging off Aimee's bed.

"What?" Aimee started, she looked up and-

"Ow! Ow-ow-ow! OW!" She cried as chocolate-chip cookies rained down on her, hitting her poor head, breaking and getting crumbs on her hair, spilling from a bag adjusted to the ceiling. "Ow!"

"Didn't you just _love _the cookies!" Ginny shrieked hysterically, jumping up and down, the contents of her present rattling. "Mum made them yesterday and you didn't even notice!"

Aimee laughed. "Leave it to you guys to sing a silly, mean song to me and chuck cookies at my head on my birthday" She rolled her eyes.

"We attached them to the ceiling last night while you were asleep!" Ginny grinned.

FLASHBACK

"_How do we know she's asleep?" Hermione whispered to Ginny, nodding over to Aimee's bed._

"_Easy" Ginny grinned in the darkness, she kneeled down and whispered into Aimee's ear; "Aimee, your brother is a really good kisser. In fact, a really good French Kisser. Especially French Kisses. Want me to tell you all the details?" _

_Hermione looked at Ginny, horrified._

"_She's asleep" Ginny shrugged when Aimee didn't move. _

_Aimee stirred suddenly and opened her eyes._

"_Ginny? What did you say?" She asked sleepily, confused. Ginny bit her lip. Hermione gave her a panicky look and hissed, "What now, genius?" _

_Ginny turned to Aimee, who was squinting in the darkness at them._

"_This was all a dream… Go back to sleep" She said spookily, backing away slowly, waving her hands slowly in front of her as if fading away._

_Aimee blinked at her, turned over, and mumbled, "Okay…" _

_TEN MINUTES LATER…_

"_Well, I hope you know what you're doing!" Hermione hissed under her breath to Ginny._

"_How was I supposed to know she was awake?" Ginny hissed back as she assembled the cookie bag on the ceiling, tying it to a rope. Now all they had to do was pull the rope._

"_Ginny, you don't go around telling people about Harry and his French kisses!" Hermione scolded in a scandalous tone._

"_Shh! Don't wake her up!" Ginny warned, her finger to her mouth. She got into her bed. Hermione followed her and stood over Ginny._

"_Don't wake her up?" Hermione asked skeptically. Ginny didn't answer._

"_Who woke her up telling her Harry's a good French kisser?" Hermione hissed, narrowing her eyes. Ginny's bed stayed silent. In fact, there was soft, steady breathing coming from inside the covers._

"_Damn you!" Hermione whispered, shaking her head in half-laughter, and went to bed._

_END FLASHBACK  
_

Ginny grabbed one of Aimee's cookies and bit into it. "God, how does Mum manage to make them still so soft and warm after 24 hours that they were out of the oven?" She said, mm-mmming like Sid did when he ate pinecones in _Ice Age_.

"Thanks, you guys" Aimee smiled, jumping out of bed and stuffing a broken cookie into her mouth. Chocolate chip cookies were her favorite.

"How about…" Hermione started. She and Ginny looked at each other and grinned.

"PRESENT OPENING!" They both yelled, shaking the parcels wildly.

"What is all this racket?" A voice sleepily asked from the doorway. "We're sleeping next door"

All three girls' heads snapped to where the voice was heard. There stood Harry and Ron, both in their pajamas. Ron was practically falling asleep standing up.

All three girls looked at each other. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARRY!" They screeched. Ron woke up and blinked.

"What?" Harry started, but then he grinned. "Oh. Birthday. Cool" He said. "Happy birthday, Aims" He said to his sister

"Let's open presents together!" Aimee grinned. Ron rubbed his eyes, walked to Hermione's bed, fell face first into it and started snoring.

"Ok. Accio Presents" Harry waved his wand, and a bunch of packages flew in and settled on Aimee's bed.

"You got more presents than I did!" Aimee pouted.

"Oh, shush, that's not true." Harry laughed. They all sat down on the floor. Hermione, closest to the bed, gave Aimee the random present she had picked before.

"Alright, you have to say who's it from, and show everyone what it is, alright?" Hermione said bossily. "No exceptions!"

"Thanks" Aimee said, and looked at the package's label. "Ok, so it's from Ron" She stopped and looked around. "RON! THANKS FOR WHATEVER YOU GAVE ME!" She screeched. Ron woke up with a start from Hermione's bed and slid off.

"What?" He mumbled.

"We're opening presents, wake up!" Hermione said, motioning for him to sit down with them.

He nodded, walked over to them, sat down next to Hermione, and fell asleep on her shoulder.

"Ok, so… I'm opening the present…" She started ripping the paper slowly. "I'm looking inside" She looked inside. "I'm seeing what it is and OH MY GOD." She finished dramatically and snatching the present out of Ginny's sight, she was sitting next to her.

"What? What did he give you?" Ginny asked, curiosity getting the better of her. She leaned forward, trying to see into the box. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Thanks, Ron! A picture frame!" Aimee said, smiling. It was, indeed, a picture frame, with the letters of 'Happy Birthday' jumping around. Little pink and blue monkeys danced around the frame. She laughed. It was so cute!

"You're welcome" Ron said, rubbing his eyes. Aimee gave him a hug.

"Anyways… next present to Aimee, again!" Ginny said, holding out the random package she had grabbed from before.

"What about my present?" Harry pouted.

"You'll get one in time, Harry" Ginny said in a motherly voice. Harry nodded miserably. Ginny patted his shoulder.

"Ok, so, this one's from Charlie" Aimee said aloud.

"Woo! Your _boyfriend_, Aimee?" Ginny whistled. Honestly, she'd take any random boy's name and make him her boyfriend.

"My _friend_. I'm allowed to have those, you know" Aimee said, mock glaring at Ginny.

"Fine" She said.

Aimee started opening the present, and something fluffy poked out.

"No… way. He has discovered my weakness!" Aimee said dramatically, and pulled out-

"A plush wolf! That's so cute!" Hermione exclaimed. It was brown, soft, and fluffy, with cute, big eyes.

"Aww" Aimee said, hugging the stuffed wolf, but shrieked when the fluff ball literally started howling.

"What the hell?" Aimee cried, laughing, as the miniature wolf finished its howl and went immobile again.

"Whoa! I thought it wasn't real!" Ron cried, surprised. Ginny backed away, laughing.

"It's not!" Aimee said, furrowing her eyebrows, picking up a birthday card inside the parcel. It had a picture of a dog with its tongue to the side, winking. On the bottom, it said; 'Happy Birthday!' She opened it and read its contents.

_Happy Birthday, Aimee!_

_Hope you liked the stuffed wolf, and no, it's not real! I charmed it to howl when you hug it, as you may have noticed (probably). If you scratch it behind the ear, for instance, it gives a bark and it pants. Try saying; 'Charlie gives the best presents' or 'Charlie is the best' and see how it reacts. Give it a name! Preferably something that starts with 'Char' and ends with 'lie'. _

_And yes, I do realize I'm being a bit self-centered at the moment. So what?_

_Love, _

_Charlie_

_P.S. Happy birthday! Watch out for Benji's present, he told me it was something very… uncommon…_

"What's it say?" Ginny asked, petting the wolf's head. It wagged its tail. "Woah!" she cried.

Aimee grinned. "That damn prankster… he charmed it!"

"He charmed the wolf to freak people out whenever they touch it?" Harry said slowly, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes" Aimee said, rolling her eyes. She then grabbed the wolf and gave a scratch behind the ear. It barked. Aimee shook her head. "Hang on… Charlie is the best!" She said to it.

And, to everyone's surprise, the small wolf sprang to life and started running in circles.

"No… way" Ginny laughed, watching the wolf's progress round and round.

"Read it. See how James-like he is" Aimee rolled her eyes, showing the birthday card.

Hermione took it. Her eyes scanned the card back and forth, her look of confusion turning to smile, then to grin, then to laughter.

"Your friend sure is crazy!" She said, handing the card back. "Go on, give it a name!" Hermione laughed, passing the card to Ginny and Harry, Ron had read over her shoulder

"Alright" Aimee said importantly, "How 'bout Char-the-idiot-lie?"

Ron shook his head, rolling his eyes.

"I'll think of a name later" Aimee said, shrugging. Ginny took the chance.

"Present for Harry!" Ginny announced, seizing a present from the pile.

"Oh, hurrah…" Harry laughed, taking the package.

"Who's it from?" Ginny asked him, looking over his shoulder.

"Surprise, surprise… you" Harry answered, rolling his eyes. "How obvious can you get?"

Ginny grinned. "Open it!" She said, resting her head on Harry's shoulder.

"Alright then…" Harry said, opening the parcel slowly. He took out-

"What is it?" Harry asked, looking at the box closely. It had a picture of a man on his broom that made letters…

"See, it's this powder that you put on your broom, and then by flying in the air you can create letters and words! They'll last up to 30 seconds, you could spell things like 'Gryffindor rocks' or 'We will rock you'!" Ginny said all excitedly. "You could use it in Quidditch match to pump up the team!"

"Sort of those cartoons in which the airplane passes and leaves something written in the air!" Aimee said, grinning.

"I got one for you, too!" Ginny grinned.

"Ginny, you know perfectly well that I probably won't make the Quidditch team at Beauxbatons…" Aimee said, narrowing her eyes.

Ginny's grin widened. "But you're good! You really are!" Ginny said earnestly.

"I'll probably fall off the broom…" Aimee said, finding excuses.

"Ok. Then can I have it back, so I can use it and you won't have a birthday present from me?"

"On second thought, I could just be a cheerleader!"

"Good" Ginny said, smiling smugly. "But you'll be a chaser"

Aimee opened her mouth to retort, but Hermione cut her off.

"Present for Aimee!"

"HA! I'm getting more presents than you!" Aimee told Harry mockingly, sticking out her tongue.

"That's because my presents fell more to the back!" Harry said, sticking out _his_ tongue.

"Drat! I was hoping to have more than you…" Aimee said in mock sadness, wiping an imaginary tear from her eye.

"And we are opening the present…!" Hermione said, shoving her parcel into Aimee's hands pointedly.

"Sheesh, fine. It's from… Benji!" Aimee said, grinning, remembering what Charlie had told her in the letter. She absentmindedly petted the plush wolf on the head. It gave a soft howl.

She turned over the package. The message was in French.

_WARNING: Aimee, make sure this is sitting on a table with nothing on it, I don't want any of your things damaged. Stand back a few feet away from it and open with magic! That means the wand, as you can now do magic (seventeen, my friend!). I swear I tried to charm it to be as quiet as possible, so tell me if it's too loud, so I can perfect it. Oh, and don't crowd around it, you may have to duck later on. Happy birthday, Aimee!_

_P.S. Make sure that if there are more people in the room, they don't speak French, so the end will be a surprise._

Hermione noticed the look of pure horror on Aimee's face. Or it might have been a mixture between that and laughter.

"What does it say?" Harry said, squinting at the words.

"What's all this commotion about?" A voice asked from the doorway. Aimee lifted her head. Fred and George were standing in the doorway, both looking confused, wearing their pajamas, staring at them strangely. It must have been a funny sight;

Ron with a whole cookie stuffed in his mouth, making his cheeks inflate in a round position, wearing maroon pajama pants and a white t-shirt.

Hermione, her hair in a braid, one hand on Ron's shoulder, the other a cookie, wearing a spaghetti-strap (tank top, you call it?) green shirt, and flannel pajama pants that had little sheep on the green backround of the pants.

Then Aimee, looking absolutely bewildered, holding a huge parcel in her hands with a warning label on it, in a light blue spaghetti-strap shirt, wearing darker blue pajama pants that had little dogs on them, and had crumbs in her hair. There was even a cookie piece tangled in her hair at the very bottom.

Harry's hair was, if possible, even crazier than usual, as he hadn't brushed it that morning, his hand holding a cookie that was half-way to his mouth, wearing, like Ron, a white t-shirt and dark blue pajama pants.

Ginny in a white, tight t-shirt that said _go count sheep and let me sleep_, and pink pajama shorts with squares on them, sitting cross-legged on the floor. She was leaning against the bed, cookie in hand.

It didn't help much that they were all barefoot.

"What are you all doing?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Opening presents!" Ron chirped happily through a mouthful of cookie. Aimee nodded furiously.

"You were opening presets and you didn't invite us?" George asked, pouting He turned to his twin. "Fred, my dear brother, we have a party to crash."

And then they both sat down in the circle. "Now… where were we? Oh, yes, that watermelon-sized package" Fred said, nodding.

Aimee rolled her eyes and translated the words to English for them.

"What did he send you, fireworks?" Hermione asked when she had finished, raising an eyebrow.

"Cool" Fred and George said at the same time.

"Knowing him, probably" Aimee said, rolling her eyes. "Benjamin is like Sirius or Dad when they were at Hogwarts" She said, "Except he's got more technology"

"What's with all the precautions?" Ginny asked, taking the parcel slowly and gently as if it were a bomb, "You'd think he'd be sending you something illegal…"

"I say we open it" George said with a devilish grin.

"Right you are" Fred said, the same grin as his twin.

"Something tells me it's fireworks…" Hermione said suspiciously, giving the present a dirty look. "I bet it'll at _least_ set something on fire"

Aimee got up and put the parcel gingerly in the middle of the nearest table. Ron and Harry followed, each taking a cookie from Aimee's bed. Aimee retraced her steps and grabbed another one of those delicious pieces of heaven. Ginny followed suit of the Cookie Eaters, and grabbed the nearest chair to watch the show, munching on the cookie. The rest stood around the table, twins closest.

"Everyone back up!" Hermione said loudly, motioning for them all to take a few steps back.

Everyone watched the innocent parcel on the table fearfully, waiting, holding their breath, for it to explode. The scene looked funny, a bunch of grown teenagers in pajamas scared of a package the size of a watermelon.

"Go on, Aimee" Ron said evilly, pulling softly on one of her long strands of hair, making a few cookie crumbs drop to the ground. "It's your present, you get to open it"

Aimee flipped her hair back, making sure that it hit Ron in the face (Oh, the joys of having long hair… It was a good 3 or 4 inches past her shoulders), and took out her wand. She flicked it uncertainly (_Abrio Regalo_, her mind chanted), and the parcel, as if waiting for its cue, burst open. Aimee held her breath.

There was a _Boom_ of smoke as it tore open, Ginny seized Harry's hand.

Ron burst out laughing. It was a lowly book! It had a bright green cover, with the words _Joyeux Anniversaire_ (_Happy Birthday_ in French) etched in bright blue on it.

"It's a book" Fred had started to say sarcastically, but-

BOOM!

Another puff of smoke, the book burst open, something was coming out of it…

"_Da da da da da da!_

_Oh, it's Aimee's birthday_

_And we know what to say_

_Oh, it's Aimee birthday_

_Give a hip hip hooray!" _

Small voices, high-pitched, singing in french, emerged from the book… They were… _CRICKETS_! Playing the violin, and a few hopping to the beat.

"_We sing a cool, short song_

_we'll assure it won't be long!_

_We'll just say this;_

_Hope your birthday's a bliss_!"

They sang quite fast in French, making it have such a funny sound, that Aimee burst out laughing. Ron still had that confused look on.

"_What do we have here?_

_Tis certainly not a cheer,_

_It's a message from your friends_

_All three have decided to send_!"

All of a sudden, the crickets went quiet and stood unmoving, and from inside, voices were heard, Aimee recognized them. It was a recording!

"Hey, Aims! I have no idea where the hell Benjamin got hold of this, but I suggest you take that as a warning for next year! Happy Birthday, girl!" Adelaide's voice rang out in English, then came Charlie's voice;

"Can I say something now, dear Adelaide?"

"_Excuse_ me?" Adelaide's voice said, annoyed. "I was in the middle of-"

"You're excused… Anyway, Aimee, have a happy birthday and remember to duck!"

Aimee laughed even harder. This was the weirdest present she'd ever get. It was Benji's turn now. He spoke, unlike Charlie and Adelaide, in French.

"Liked my invention, Aimee? We recorded the song ourselves and set the cricket dudes to dance at the same time! See what a genius I am? Well, Happy birthday, Aims! This is where you're supposed to duck, by the way."

Aimee, even in confusion, obeyed. She was, apparently, the only one who spoke French. She ducked, screaming shrilly for the fun of it, forgetting completely that half the Weasley family was there, and her brother, plus Hermione. She should have said something to them… Well, screw them.

BOOM!

There was the explosion again, Aimee crouched on the floor (apparently Hermione understood, too, as she was on the floor, too), hands over her head.

She peeked at the others from her position, and starting laughing her head off. Apparently, the book had… exploded. And the pages were stuckable. There was one sticking to Ron's back, one stuck on Ginny's t-shirt, one on Harry 's face, one on Aimee's own hand, on the bed, on the floor…

Everywhere. And, well, the twins being so close to the book, they had gotten most of the papers- badly. They were on Fred's head, on Fred's face, on Fred's shoulders, on Fred's shirt, on Fred's bum, on Fred's leg, and on his shoes.

And George was the on off worse. He said something muffled through the paper stuck in his mouth.

"George says the kid who did this is a genius" Fred said, unpasting a sheet of paper from his cheek with difficulty.

"MMM!" George replied, seizing the paper with his papery hands and trying to rip it off his face, but no luck.

"Sheer genius" Hermione muttered sarcastically, from her crouched position on the floor. She fought to unstick the page number 43 from the end of her braid.

George gave a muffled yell, trying to pry the paper blocking his view off. He staggered backwards and fell/sat down on a chair… that had a paper on it.

"So… the great Hermione Granger knows French" Ron said, taking a piece of paper with his right hand and successfully removing it off his left, only to have it stick on his other hand. He waved his left hand frantically to make it fall off. It stayed put.

"I had a few French classes… at least enough to know when to duck" Hermione said. She flipped her braid back, only to have it catch the bedpost. She gave a shrill cry and tried to untie herself, but the tip of her braid remained firmly pasted on the bedpost, disabling her to move.

The door banged open. "What was that explosion?" Sirius asked, furrowing his eyebrows. He stared at the teens, wondering why the hell they were covered in papers, cookies and… pajamas….

If Fred and George had thought the scenario before looked funny, well, Sirius was laughing his head off now, slumped against the wall.

He looked, tears falling from his eyes and his face red from laughter, from Ron, two hands stuck on a same page, attempting fruitlessly to unstick his hands, to Hermione's braid stuck on the bedpost, arms crossed and scowling, to Aimee trying to separate her cookie from the paper stuck on her hand, to Harry and Ginny forcing apart Harry's glasses, Harry's hand, and a piece of paper, to Fred with his hand stuck on a piece of paper stuck to his hair, to George crawling on the floor dragging along a chair with his butt and covered in sheets of paper, including his face, which, by the looks of it, didn't seem to be coming off for a few good hours.

"So that's what birthdays are like now, are they?" Sirius croaked from the doorway, then bending over in another laugh attack. He placed his hand on the wall… big mistake.

"Huh?" He said stupidly, looking at his hand, in which page number 16 was pasted on proudly.

"Hope it stays long" Harry said to Sirius, before pasting a paper smack-dab on Sirius' cheeks with his glasses still on it.

**A/N: YES! Finished chapter 12! Next chapter; the rest of the day! Guess who's coming? Three certain people we all love! Want the chapter 13? REVIEW!**

**And I'm not posting again until I get 7 reviews! So THERE! **


	13. JKR's Diary

**A/N: Sorry for the long update! I really am! Here's a good long chappie! Anyway, I was having trouble writing this chapter, (I had already wrote two other beginnings and wasn't happy with them, so I deleted them.) so I decided to make it Aimee's diary-form. **

**Underline is what Aimee's writing, **Normal** letters are what is happening, and _Italics_ are flashbacks.**

Aimee sat on her bed, quill in hand, gazing at the little blue notebook in her hand by the light of her wand. Ginny and Hermione were already asleep after the long, fun day they had spent at the lake. Looking at the note from whom it was, she smiled and began to write.

July 31st 

Dear Diary that JKR Gave Me on My Birthday Though It Isn't Really a Diary, More Like a Journal:

As you can see from the… heading thingy up there, today was me and Harry's birthday. It started out ok, I woke up and Ginny and Hermione threw cookies at my head, sang a mean Happy Birthday song to me, and forced me to open presents. What a horrible birthday! Just kidding! Well, Harry and Ron woke up and opened presents with us. 

I gave Harry my Harry Potter Series when we were alone and everybody had gone to breakfast, and told him whether he ate them, burned them, or read them, it wasn't my business and he could do whatever he wanted with them. I have a slight hunch he'll read them before burning them. They are the only books a wizard can read about him! 

And Benji sent me a book. An _exploding_ book. Go figure.

My favorite author, Joanne Rowling, sent me this diary to write in. I suppose it fits, with her being a writer and all. Plus I think she felt bad for not sending me the 7th book, as she should have done! And then last year she sent me a cursed 6th book, and I didn't even get to read it!

Anyway, after ripping all the pages of the _exploding_ book (Where the hell does he get those ideas!) from our faces, we headed down to breakfast and had some really good pancakes. Sirius had convinced Dumbledore to let us off the classes for today, so we were going to this nearby lake for the day. Mrs. Weasley promised to bring lunch later. 

Ooh, and guess what? Charlie, Benji, and Adelaide came! I invited them over to spend my birthday with me and Harry, and introduce them to everyone. Adelaide arrived first. Ron had a lot of difficulty pronouncing her name.

Aimee paused, and put the tip of her quill to her lip, thinking. She could hear the voices in her memory of how Adelaide attempted to teach Ron her name. She was strongly reminded of Victor Krum and Hermione.

"_Adeleed?" Ron guessed._

"_No." Adelaide shook her head, annoyed. _

"_Adeh… Adeh… Something?" Ron asked pathetically._

"_No, Ron, like this; Ah-deh-la-eed. See? Easy." She explained to him, saying her name slowly and clearly for him. Aimee could see Hermione turning red by the second, covering her mouth as a few giggles escaped, then fleeing from the scene to laugh freely. _

"_Adeleed?" Ron asked again._

"_Just- just call me Adele, will you?" Adelaide finished exasperatedly._

Aimee grinned at the memory. That Ron was so naïve at times. She dipped her quill into the invisible ink the twins had given her (only she and anybody she let read would be able to read what she wrote) and continued writing.

And then Charlie arrived. Boy, Sirius sure was a annoying. He shook hands with him, and asked his name. 

Then Charlie went; "Charlie, Charlie Houston." 

And you wouldn't _believe _what Sirius said. It's like he's trying to embarrass me and get me a boyfriend at the same time! He said, all innocently (take note that what he said was NOT true!); "OH! So you're the guy Aimee's been talking about all summer long!" 

Sheesh, just because Charlie's kinda hot does NOT mean he has to pair me up. Honestly!

Aimee rolled her eyes, and sighted. She remembered those exact same words.

"_So, one of Aimee's friends, eh?" Sirius asked Charlie as they both shook hands. Charlie looked quite alarmed at shaking hands with a supposed murderer, but decided he could trust him. Aimee prayed Sirius wouldn't do something stupid. Adelaide watched, amused, next to Aimee, smirking._

_Slowly, Charlie nodded and said quietly; "Er, yeah."_

"_What's your name, then?" Sirius asked him._

"_Um, Charlie, Charlie Houston." He said in the same quiet voice. Sirius eyes comically popped out of his eyes and he pretended to look surprised. _

NO_! Aimee's head screamed._

"_Oh!" Sirius said, as if suddenly understanding something, "So _you_'re the guy Aimee's been talking about all summer!" _

_If she could have, she would have screamed. Instead, Aimee turned red in the face. Quickly, muttering a small "Excuse us!" at Charlie's direction, who looked taken aback, she shoved Sirius away to a corner of the house._

_She heard Charlie ask Harry, "Erm, has she really been talking about me?" _

_She prayed, thinking furiously so Harry would get the message, that Harry answered something suitable and non-embarrasing._

"What the hell are you doing_!" She hissed, shaking Sirius' t-shirt sleeve furiously. Her cheeks remained flushed._

"_Well, someone's a bit _too_ red." Sirius commented dryly, smirking down at her._

"_I've been talking about the three of them, not just Charlie!" Aimee said hurriedly, hoping their voices wouldn't be heard by the others. "What were you trying to pull?" She narrowed her eyes. Sirius was about to tell her something, but then something ignited in her head. _

"You_!" She said, her eyes widened. Sirius looked taken aback, but his smirk was still there._

"_Me, what?" _

"You_ were the one who paired up Harry and Ginny on the Christmas holidays! It was _you_ who pushed Harry into Ginny all the time! It was you who threw a bucketful of cold water on Ginny so Harry would have give her his coat! And YOU were the one catcalling them from the window when they were talking on New Years Eve!" She gasped, narrowing her eyes. _

_Sirius grinned innocently. "Well, and now they're together! Isn't that wonderful?" _

_Aimee narrowed her eyes. "Choose wisely what you say, Sirius, because I can use _anything_ you did to blackmail you."_

_Sirius snorted. "Blackmail? Harry wouldn't do anything to me, I got them together. More than annoyed, he'd be grateful." _

"_Really? And what if I told him about that time you told Hermione and Ginny all those embarrassing things he did when he was on?_

_Sirius paused to think. Then he decided on attack rather than defend. "Well, I _could_ tell your boyfriend all the embarrassing things _you_ did when you were one."_

"_He's _not_ my boyfriend! He's just my friend!" Aimee said angrily, reddening again. Sirius smirked. Aimee continued. "And if you do that, you'll find yourself tied to a burning mattress tomorrow morning!" _

_Sirius thought about it for a minute. "Ok, I don't say any embarrassing things, you don't tell Harry anything, deal?" He said, extending his hand. Aimee took it and they shook._

"_Deal." Aimee growled. "No embarrassing stuff. Just be good and behave like and _adult_!" Then she seized the neck of his t-shirt and dragged him away._

Aimee dipped her quill back into the ink pot. She had written quite a lot, describing her deal with Sirius and her and Harry's revenge. Actually, her godfather hadn't even kept his promise. Sure, he hadn't told any embarrassing stories, but he had been referring to Charlie and Benji as Aimee's 'boyfriend' in front of everybody and then saying; "Whoops! I meant _friend_!"

Since he hadn't kept his side of the deal, Aimee wouldn't keep her side of the deal. She told Harry all the things he had done. Harry said it was ok at first, but then she told him about the embarrassing tales Sirius had told. They both agreed on revenge.

They were both waking up early, at around 6, going to his room, and play a few pranks on him. They decided setting him on fire and tying him up was too harsh. They had decided on turning his hair bright pink and adorning it with flowers, (well, it was almost shoulder length…), then turning all of his robes orange with big green polka dots on them.

Anyway, I got back with Sirius and found that Benji had already arrived while I was gone. Well, you know Hermione speaks French? They were both animatedly talking to each other about something or the other. And Ron was still trying to learn Adelaide's name, who, thank God, has the patience of a saint… sometimes. Harry, Fred, George, and Charlie were talking about Weasley's Wizarding Wheezies, or whatever it's called, new product- Paint Balloons. Like water balloons, except they splatter collored ink, depending on the balloons color. All you do is fill it with water. 

MENTAL NOTE: Buy some of those balloons and throw them at Sirius. ALL OF THEM. 

Well, at least Benji arriving took out a bit of awkwardness between me and Charlie, but with Sirius and his 'boyfriend scheme', it was hard to be myself around him, since I always had to tell him, "Just ignore Sirius, just ignore him…" 

Kinda hard when everybody _else _heard it, too. Damn Sirius. He shall pay! 

After that, we went to the lake, walking through these really nice woods. There was the twins, me, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Charlie, Benji, Adelaide, Sirius, and Moody, who was coming as a guardian, and was NOT happy. Tonks came, too. Except that unlike Moody, she brought a swimming suit and wasn't a party pooper. 

Oh, and I let Benji borrow my translator so he could understand what was going on.

Anyway, Moody kept yelling "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" all the time. Benji and Charlie were so surprised the first time he shouted that, they seized my arms and Benji began asking; "Quoi? Qu'est-ce que c'est passé?" That means; 'What? What's going on/ what happened?' in French. 

What a pair of scaredy cats! Then I explained (in French, so Moody wouldn't understand) about Moody and his paranoidness. Actually, me and Ginny had both shrieked, too, so… Shyeah. I knew about him and his 'constant vigilances', but I had never heard him shout that. And Ginny had been walking net to Moody, so she got a full blast in her ear. Sirius kept walking as if nothing happened. 

MENTAL NOTE: Draw all over Sirius' face in permanent marker because he smirked at me while I explained to Charlie, Adelaide, and Benji about Moody. 

And the two boys were still clinging to my arms. Ok, so it wasn't really them who got that scared, technically it was me. Ok, so I grabbed Charlie's arm really hard (he actually turned white), and Benji was the one who seized _my_ arm. Maybe that's why Sirius smirked? 

Anyway, Charlie just so happened to be next to me. So what?

To make matters worse, after we reached the lake, Ginny told me slyly I was wearing the skirt she had given me. After I had asked; "What about it?" she reminded me that it had been sprayed with a tiny bit of love potion. I just stood and blinked and she grinned at me and walked away. And I remembered. Ginny had told me when she had given it to me it had been sprayed with a bit of Love Potion.

THE WHOLE WORLD IS OUT TO GET ME!

I swear, Ginny actually thought I was wearing it to woo Charlie and/ or Benji! WHY DON'T THEY UNDERSTAND THAT MAYBE, JUST _MAYBE_, I WAS WEARING IT BECAUSE I _LIKED_ IT!

Although, maybe that explains why most of the guys of the group (Except Moody. That would be just wrong. EW! Bad mental image!) were crowding around me… 

After that, I made another mental note to try and drown her. Stupid Ginny and her stupid Love Potion-ed skirt! Mark my words, I am NEVER wearing it again!

Here Aimee paused to think. She really did like the skirt… She quickly wrote down;

Or maybe I am, but that's not the point!

We went into the water and swam, and we had a lot of fun. Sirius showed us this large rock thing that you jumped off, and we spent the next half hour doing the most amazing jumps that came to mind. The most amazing? Mine. 

Because Sirius pushed me off and I screamed all the way down. Then we had a balloon fight! Fred and George had brought the Paint Balloons, and guess what?

I HIT SIRIUS RIGHT ON HIS HEAD! AND HARRY GOT HIM ON HIS BUM!

It splattered all over his (beautiful, as he calls it) hair and dripped all over his forehead and eyes! YES! I hope it stays long! And when Harry got him, it splattered all over his swim shorts. That was sweet, _sweet_ revenge!

Benji loved them. He asked (through Charlie, who was interested, too) if they could buy some. Especially the ones that won't get off unless you use a special soap. I have a very good feeling about this, you know. 

We could throw them at Jean-Pierre and Marianna! YES!

Anyway, Sirius retailed by hitting ME on the back and Harry on his face. It looked quite funny, since all of his face was bright green, except for his eyes and the area around them, as his glasses had been protecting them. 

Ginny started laughing so hard, so Harry got annoyed and grabbed her, then planted a huge kiss on her face, then rubbing his face against hers, so then _she_ had a green face, too. 

It went _so_ beautifully with her hair, too!

So I had to go around with this huge purple spot on my back. Then Fred and George announced they weren't giving us the soap until the end of the day. That's when everyone grabbed a balloon and threw it at them. So now instead of redhead twins, we had _multicolored_ twins!

Moody was the only party pooper. He sat back and threatened to hex anybody who threw anything at him, whether it was a paint balloon, or water. But I have this slight hunch he threw a paint balloon at Sirius. Well, Sirius was standing there, aiming at someone, then this huge paint balloon hit his arm and he squeezed the balloon in his hand too hard so he spilled it all over himself. Then when he turned around to see who had thrown it, there was only Moody, sitting on one of those foldable chairs. Then he growled, all auror-y and stuff; "What are you looking at, Black?" So then Sirius just left it there. 

Then Mrs. Weasley showed up. She was surprised that everyone had colored paint all over themselves, but otherwise ignored it. She brought lunch with her. They were these really good sandwiches and a few cookies and stuff. You know, typical picnic food. Everyone devoured them like T-rexes. 

After that, the girls went sunbathing. That meant Hermione, Ginny, and I. So we laid our towels at the beach and laid down. Hermione had brought her boom box, so we could hear music. Then Fred made fun of us; he grabbed towel, sat next to us, and went in a high-pitched, girly voice; "Hey, girlfriends! How are you _all_ doing?"

That's when the three of us just blinked and stared at him. Hermione went; "_Girlfriends_?" 

So he walked away, muttering things like, 'Damn girls' and 'Don't know how to take a joke'. 

After that, I fell asleep almost instantly! But then, of _course_ Sirius had to come and ruin my delicious sun-warming nap by jumping in the water, turning into a dog, and then drying his fur by shaking himself RIGHT IN FRONT OF US. I woke up to Ginny and Hermione screaming at Sirius to go away.

And the fact that I was all wet added a bit of a hint, too.

Then, we played a game of volleyball! It was so much fun, even though everyone sucked at it! Actually, I think I was the worst, even though I had grown up in muggle surroundings. Everyone just hit the ball randomly and hoped that it went on the other side. 

We decided to make it Beauxbatons against Hogwarts, with a twin on each side to make it equal. They weren't at Hogwarts anymore, anyway, so George was on our team.

Tonks and Sirius played the judges, and Moody just stood back, and watched the game with a raised eyebrow. 

You could say it was…

Aimee stopped writing to think of other words to describe the game. She put the end of her quill against her lips, thinking, and reliving the memory.

"_Ok, so, all you have to do is hit the ball to the other side of the net, and as long as it doesn't bounce twice, it's ok." Hermione explained._

"_Alright, let's make teams!" Harry grinned. "Beauxbatons against Hogwarts!" He added, smirking at Aimee. _

"_Right on, you hogs!" Aimee responded. She and her brother gave each other mock glares, and recruited their correspondent team players on their side of the net._

"_Alright, guys," Aimee said in her best leader voice, "Y'all just… get out there… and play, or something. And, uh, don't miss!" She finished uncertainly._

"_Great plan!" Benji nodded furiously, really seriously. Aimee rolled her eyes. They turned to face the net, where Harry and his team were already waiting._

_Hermione served first, and it flew towards the left, where Benji was. With a 'HEEYAH!' he jumped up and hit the ball forcefully towards the other side. Harry returned it, and then the game turned full-on. The ball bounced around, Aimee got to hit it a few times. There were shrieks of laughter form the girls, and 'HACHAH!' from the guys as they hit the ball (mainly Benjamin)._

_Then, as the ball flew towards Aimee, she threw her arms upwards to hit it…_

_And missed. The ball flew straight past her hands and slammed on her face! With a cry of pain, she fell to her knees and clutched at her bloody nose, her eyes watering. _

"_Aimee! Are you ok?" Adelaide said behind her, smothering giggles. _

"_That was a nasty hit." Sirius commented, as if his goddaughter got a bloody nose everyday._

"_I'm fine! I'm perfectly fine! Just find my nose and put it in ice so they can sew it back on!" Aimee said, her words muffled by her hands. Her eyes were brimming with tears, both of embarrassment and pain. What if she had broken her nose?_

"_Come on, Aimee. Let us see." Harry said somewhere near her, probably having had come to help her, and trying to pry her hands off her face. _

_It only made the pain on her nose worse. She gave a shriek. "I'M DYING! I can't breathe! I CAN'T BRE-" _

"_Oh, stop being so dramatic!" Tonks snapped, and wrenched her hands away from her face. Aimee turned even redder, if possible with all the blood on her face, as it had dripped from her nose to her lips, over her chin, and was crawling uncomfortably down her neck. Charlie was staring at her transfixed somewhere in front of her, away from the crowd. Aimee could tell he may not very good around blood. He actually was very white. _

_Benji was next to him, kneeling down and clutching his stomach, laughing his head off. Laughing really, _really_ hard. As in really loud._

"_Oh, shut up, Benji." Hermione told him in french as she walked past, hitting him upside the head. He stopped immediately, scowled at her, and rubbed his head._

"_It really, really hurts." Aimee whimpered. Why did everyone have to stare at her? Adelaide and Harry were standing back along with Sirius. Moody had gotten up to see what the drama was, took one look at Aimee and said; "She'll live." And went back to his isolated rock/chair in the corner and watched them, shouting a 'CONSTANT VIGILANCE!' now and then. _

"_I'll say! Look at the angle you nose turned!" Sirius commented, cocking his head to the side. Aimee's eyes widened as she gave a yelp and panicked. _

"_Is it really in a weird angle! Is it going to stay that way fo-"_

"_Shush. Your nose is fine, just a bloody nose. Don't listen to Sirius." Tonks told her softly, then turning around and giving Sirius a very dirty look. She got up and let Hermione take the lead in front of her. She was becoming a Healer, so she knew a lot about injuries. _

_Ron was standing with George, both leaning against the net, watching the scenario with interest, waiting to hear that everything was fine. Fred had secretly gotten out the paint balloons, and was approaching Moody oh-so-cautiously to throw and run.  
_

"_Now don't move." Hermione warned, tucking Aimee's hair behind her ears to avoid getting it stained by blood and flipping the rest of her loose wavy hair to her back. Aimee whimpered. Hermione pointed her wand at Aimee's face (who cowered), and muttered a spell under her breath. Aimee's nose stopped bleeding instantly._

"_See? Much better." Hermione told her, smiling. _

"_But I'm still covered in blood!" Aimee whined embarrassedly, wiping the trickle of leftover blood of her neck away. Hermione rolled her eyes. _

"_Scourgify!" She said, waving her wand. The blood on her face, neck, and hands disappeared._

"_Thank God…" Aimee said, touching her nose to check it was alright. Now she could feel the heat rising up her cheeks. "Sorry." She added sheepishly, giving what she hoped was a forgiving grin. _

"_Leave it to Aimee to get herself injured in the first ten minutes of the game." Ron said with a mock air of superiority, rolling his eyes._

"_Do I have to remind you it was you who hit her with the ball?" Hermione asked him, raising her eyebrows. Adelaide and Harry snickered. _

"_Alright… anyone up for a continued game of volleyball in which I'm cheerleader?" Aimee asked everyone. She was too embarrassed to keep playing. _

_There was suddenly a loud splat, an angry roar, and Fred sped past, screaming his head off, followed by a pink-stained Moody shouting illegal curses at him. _

"_See? One player on each team got injured- or at least, he will be." Aimee added, as she watched Moody Petrify Fred and dangle him upside down a good 10 meters over the lake all in the short span of 15 seconds. Fred was yelling for help, shouting apologies down to Moody, and screaming to be let down. _

"_If you say so!" Moody said delightedly, and wrenched his wand upwards. The he turned on his heel and walked back to his rock, barking; "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" at them as he walked by, not bothering to watch Fred scream like a girl as he plunged headfirst towards the lake and splashed a good quantity of water at the beach. _

_Aimee blinked. Moody sure was a creepy sort of guy when you thought about it. I mean, come on, having a pink splotch on his back? Exactly how manly _was_ this guy? _

_Aimee, despite all the protests of pretty much everyone, sat back with Sirius (who, for some unknown reason, gave her a noogie) and Tonks._

Aimee rubbed her nose without really noticing. She dipped her quill in the ink bottle and wrote:

You could say it was an interesting game. 

Anyway, after that, we played a weird game of Quidditch. This time we decided to mix teams, and we charmed the volleyball as quaffle, two oranges for bludgers, and a plum as the snitch. Harry ate it after Ginny caught it. He literally flew next to her, snatched the snitch (if you can call a plum that) form her hand, and gave a huge bite. 

Ginny started laughing so much after that, that she fell off her broom and landed on the lake (we played over it, so that if anybody fell, it'd be ok). The Harry did a matrix motion, let go off the snitch (it actually could fly even after it had a huge Harry Bite on it!), and threw himself into the lake after Ginny. 

Everyone brought their brooms-everyone who played, though. I told Charlie and Adelaide to bring their brooms. Benji and Hermione didn't play, though. 

Team #1

Adelaide-Chaser

Harry -Seeker

Charlie-Keeper

Fred-Beater

Team #2

Me-Chaser

Ginny-Seeker

Ron-Keeper

George-Beater

It was a really cool game. So interesting, too. Ron fell off his broom afterFred threw the orange at him and accidentally hit his face. He splashed so comically into the lake! Fred decided to be cruel and laughed mercilessly at him. 

Well, at the end, after Harry and Ginny did their summersaults, Charlie decided everybody else should, too. Adelaide and I were talking while sitting on our brooms, then he came and crashed into us, making us both fall off our brooms- him, too. 

We screamed all the way down while Charlie _whooped_. Who can be so happy when you fall down more than 10 meters down and then splat into the water? WHO? And then it hurts like hell! Ooh, and guess what? 

Somehow the top part of my bikini unstrapped itself in the air, and when we landed, _IT COMPLETELY FELL OFF_! I screamed myself hoarse at Charlie and made him go down to get it. 

_"I have the snitch!" Ginny yelled triumphantly, sticking a fist in the air, holding the snitch. It had been quite a hard catch, she had had to fly upwards and make a sharp right. Harry, who had almost caught it, hovered near her._

_"Congratulations." He grinned. Ginny smirked. "Well, seeing as th esnitch is a nice juicy plum, we better not waste it." Harry said suddenly. And with that, he seized Ginny's wrist, pried the plum/snitch and gave it a huge bite, smiling at Ginny as he chewed. Ginny stared at him witha disbelieving expression._

_"You ate my plum!" She whined. Harry looked at the bittenplum curiously. He looked back to Ginny, who was pouting. _

_"Wad shum?" Harryasked through a mouthful of plum, offering her the half-plum. Ginny looked at it, and started laughing, small giggles at first, then escalating to full-on shrieking laughter. Harry smiled smugly as he gulped, chuckling a bit as Ginny laughed on. Her hands left her broom, clutching her stomach, broom gripped firmly between her knees. Ginny's eyes began to water._

_"Ok, Ginny?" Harry asked innocently. Ginny looked at him and laughed even more, her knees buckled under her... _

_Andshe dropped. Screaming for help. Laughing. Shrieking all the way down. Harry watched with wide eyes as his girlfriend splashed to the lake. Then, realizing what happened, he cried dramatically; "NOOOOO! GINNY!" Throwing the plum over his shoulder (it flew away, zigzagging a bit as dropped), he leaped from his broom to the water. He fell for a few seconds._

_"Ginny! I'll save y-"_

_SPLASH!_

"_That must've hurt." Adelaide observed after Harry had fallen face first into the water, cutting his heroic sentence short. Aimee nodded._

"_You know, the sun is getting to me. Wanna go in?" Aimee asked her. They were floating in the air, on their brooms, 12 meters over the lake. Aimee, having just thrown on the first piece of clothing she had found that was hers, had worn the jeans skirt for the game. Adelaide had found her jeans shorts and her t-shirt. So Aimee, like Ginny, only had the skirt over her blue bikini, leaving the top part to be covered only by the blue bikini top._

_But, as soon as those words left her mouth, she heard someone say somewhere behind them; "Will do, girls!" _

_They both turned around on their brooms. Charlie was there, and evil, mad glint in his eyes. Then, using both his hands, before any of the girls could do anything, he shoved them off their brooms and jumped in after them._

_Aimee screamed all the way down, right in Charlie's ear, as he laughed his head off. Then, Aimee's eyes widened. Charlie had pushed her back. Then she had fallen off. The loop of her bikini top had caught in Charlie's finger. The bikini bra hadn't fallen off now, but with the impact of the water, it would-_

Oh, shit_! Aimee though a bit too late as they splashed in the water. She was too late to grab her bikini top as if slipped right off her, and since she was too busy trying to cover herself up, she couldn't reach it, It floated right by her face as she floated upwards, away from it, and to the surface of the water._

_Charlie was coughing up water, as he had been laughing when they fell in, when she surfaced. Adelaide poked her head through he surface of the water, face dead set on reprimanding him, opened her mouth to yell at him, when-_

"_CHARLIE! YOU GET YOU DAMN ASS DOWN THERE AND GET MY BIKINI TOP! NOW!" Aimee screamed at him. He turned around, and Aimee sank deeper in the water, glaring at him, covering her chest with her arms. She was grateful the water wasn't very transparent. _

_He stared at her open-mouthed, taking in what she just said, his eyes on her shoulders, noticing, with a horrified expression, that the blue straps weren't there._

"_CHARLIE! NOW!" Aimee shrieked angrily again. Without a word, Charlie plunged downwards, kicking his feet to reach the blue bikini bra before it went too far. _

"_What did you say?" Adelaide asked in a disbelieving voice to her once Charlie had disappeared in the water._

"_His finger caught in the loophole and it fell off when landed in the water!" Aimee moaned miserably, searching for Charlie in the water. She could barely see him now._

_Adelaide stared at her. "You mean-" _

"_Yes." Aimee nodded miserably._

"_And you're not-" Adelaide started, pointing at her arms still covering herself._

"_No, I'm not." Aimee said miserably. She looked around furiously to see if anybody had noticed, but nobody, apparently, had seen. Tonks was nearby, swimming around, but Aimee thought that, at least if someone heard, it might as well be a girl. _

"_Oh. OH." Adelaide's eyes widened when she realized what Aimee meant. _

_Then, with a loud gasp, Charlie emerged, taking a deep breath. His cheeks were flushed red.  
_

"_Well?" Aimee said anxiously, peeking at him from behind Adelaide, who had sided with Aimee on this one and was looking at Charlie with the upmost superiority. _

_Charlie's hands embarrassedly went through his hair. "Well, you see…" He stopped apbruptly and gave Aimee a very, very hurt look. "It kinda… went too far. And I kinda ran out of air and…" He trailed off. _

_Aimee went white. "Charlie, please tell me you're joking. Because this isn't funny. Really, it isn't." She said in a small, small voice. _

_Charlie turned even redder and he shook his head miserably. "I really, really am very sorry!" He blurted out. "I didn't mean to! It was an accident, I swear!" He looked like a kicked little puppy now._

"_You _lost_ it?" Aimee said disbelievingly. She shuffled even more behind Adelaide, who was staring at Charlie. A sudden feeling of dread filled her. Even worse, she'd have to say what had happened. The thought only made her even more embarrassed._

_Adelaide spoke in a very quiet voice,"Um, Aimee, I could give you my t-shirt if you want." It was true. She had been wearing her full clothing over her bikini. Charlie was now redder than ever and was floating in the water uncomfortably. _

"_I'm really, really sorry." Charlie said quietly. Aimee could see he was very embarrased. He was looking somewhere else than her, looking out at the beach. Just as Adelaide was about to take off her shirt, a voice behind them asked; "Looking for this?" _

_Charlie looked up, and Aimee whirled around, putting Adelaide in front of her and peeking through her shoulder. Tonks was there grinning, holding her blue bikini top!_

"_You found it!" Aimee shrieked happily, accidentally screaming in Adelaide's ear, who flinched. A wave of relief washed over her._

"_I heard the racket and summoned it with Accio. Some people actually know how to use their heads, you know." Tonks told her, handing her bikini top. _

"_Thank you, Tonks! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" She said really quickly, her embarrassment fading away as she quickly snatched her bikini top and fastened it as fast as possible. _

_She didn't hear Charlie give a sigh of relief._

_Tonks laughed and warned her, "You shouldn't jump that high up when you're wearing one of these. They fall of really easily with the impact on the water, you know." _

_Aimee jumped out from behind Adelaide, and hugged Tonks tightly. "Thank you _so _much!" _

"_You're welcome!" And with that, Tonks swam away. _

_Both girls turned to Charlie, narrowing their eyes._

"_Does this mean I'm forgiven?" He said in a small voice, crumbling under their evil glares. _

_Aimee kicked her legs under her and put her hands on Charlie's head, then pushed to force his head under the water. "Now you are!" She said triumphantly as _

Anyway, the twins broke the record after that. They jumped off 15 meters! _FIFTEEN_! 

HA! After that, they couldn't even walk properly! Serves them right. Ron flew down and jumped delicately into the water. Then Benjamin realized what we were doing and ran screaming his head off into the lake. Quite funny, actually. 

We spent another hour in the water, and since the brooms fell down , too, they floated. So then we grabbed the brooms, and we were actually able to take off even in the water! Then we jumped from the brooms, and it was so much fun!

It got a bit dark, so we made a fire (a blue one!), and sat around it, toasting marshmallows and telling scary stories. 

Actually, I think Moody actually _enjoys_ screaming his trademark line when nobody expects it. For example, Ron was telling this super scary story, and everybody was all staring at him with drooling mouths, eyes wide, and then Ron was telling the final, scariest part, and then-

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" Moody shrieked. 

You should have seen the reaction of everyone! Harry fell of the log he was sitting on, and since he had had his arm around Ginny, he took her with him, and they both ended up all sandy and stuff. 

Hermione shrieked and clung to Ron, who looked surprised, but otherwise un-scared. I had been clinging to Sirius'arm, digging my nails, and then I literally jumped on him and almost broke his neck. He was actually quite surprised, too, with the scary story, then Moody's yell, and then having a scared girl climbed up on him. Wait… It was actually two. Adelaide had been sitting next to me, so she joined in the 'Jump on Sirius' fest. I think he might've been able to yell in surprise if my hands hadn't been clamped around his face. 

Charlie jumped at least three feet in the air and turned really white, then fell off his log and started laughing. He was the only one, actually. Benji, who just KNEW that Moody was going to shout out (he was very cautious after the first time, so he wasn't that scared), started laughing the moment every girl started shrieking.

Fred and George, of course, weren't that surprised. All thee got was Tonks clinging to George's arm and making him deaf with her scream. 

After that, the latter decided to get back at Moody and get a new scare.. So they snuck away, Tonks transformed herself to have long, balck, straight her, big, dark eyes, and put on a black cloak, then came walking all slowly towards us. Actually, I got scared, too, with Fred and George making swooshing noises like the wind. Actually, it was very windy , too, so her cloak flew back in the wind all scary-like. 

But then she tripped on a rock and it kinda gave her away. 

Well, it's really late now! Must go to sleep. Good night, and Happy Birthday to me. 

…

Does anybody find it weird I'm wishing a book goodnight?

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The next day, at around 6.30, Harry and Aimee met at the entrance of Sirius' room with their wands, still dressed in their pajamas. They gave each other a nod through the darkness. Aimee could see his silhouette.

Harry pointed to the door and made the 'wait' sign, putting his two hands in front of him. Aimee nodded. Really carefully, he grabbed the doorknob and twisted it very slowly and silently. He seemed to be like an expert at being quiet when sneaking around. Then he pushed the door with his shoulder.

It didn't budge. Aimee saw Harry frown in the darkness and push harder. The door still stayed put. Harry gave the door an annoyed look, then turned to Aimee. He put three fingers up and took out his wand, and they both pointed at the door.

Two fingers up.

One finger up.

"_Alohamora_." Aimee and Harry whispered quietly at the door. Aimee nodded to Harry, motioning towards the door. Harry turned the door knob ever so slowly and pushed again.

The door still remained locked.

"Damn that Sirius…" Both muttered under their breath at the same time. He had locked the door to keep them from getting in!

Harry motioned for her to get nearer to him, and he whispered to her;

"We'll wait until he's out of the room, then we go in and turn all his robes pink."

"Right." Aimee said. For now they could do nothing, a locked door is a locked door. They both returned back to their rooms.

Inside the room, Sirius had been awake, smirking, as he heard that the jiggling doorknob stopped jiggling.

"Ha! They don't know I've cursed the room to turn anybody who enters a bight blue color for three days!"

**A/N: Whoa! That's the most I've ever written! 15 pages! That's my record. Honestly, as the story goes on, the chapters get longer. At first, I used to write 3 pages in the first part of the Harry Potter Code. Then I moved on to 5 pages. And then, here, in the sequel, I always wrote 8 pages, quickly escalating from 10-12 pages. Then, here, 13th chapter is 15 pages long! Well, review, since it's taken me SO long to write! I'm not updating until I get 7 more reviews. So REVIEW!**


	14. Animagus Transformations

**A/N: Animagi transformations. Enjoy yourselves. Though the chapter's crappy, I know. I promise to try more!**

"Alright", Sirius said majestically, rubbing his hands together, "The time has come. I believe each of you know what kind of animal you are, you should've noticed about a week ago what type of animal you are."

Aimee sucked in her breath through her two front teeth. It was about two weeks into August, and only a few more days to go until they went back to school. That meant that today… They were finally transforming. Aimee knew technically what kind of animal she was, but there were other things on her mind, too.

She liked her animal… She was just a bit nervous about how Sirius would react. Her animal … it was… how to describe it?

Another thing worrying was that maybe if she couldn't transform. She was afraid she'd done something wrong and Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny could transform but she wouldn't. That was her biggest fear.

"Maybe the image wasn't perfect, but it should've looked like at least _something_. Ok, so, who wants to go first?" Sirius finished his speech, grinning at them all.

_He's finished already? Damn, I didn't listen! I'm going to _die! Aimee thought, panicked.

But, paying attention to what he had just said, she pretended to be innocent, and looked somewhere else. She certainly didn't want to be first. She didn't want to fail miserably. She decided she'd go for third, maybe. Ron shuffled his feet nervously and looked down at the grass innocently. They were outside, in a field they had apparated to, just to transform. There was a very big mirror on their right, looking quite out-of-place in the middle of a grassy field. It was so you could look at yourself in animal form.

Ginny bit her lip and looked somewhere else. Harry tried to look young and helpless, failing miserably. Hermione looked at them all exasperatedly, narrowing her eyes, daring them not to volunteer.

A biting feeling settled on Aimee's stomach. She was nervous like hell. She could feel a bead of sweat running down her forehead and her face pale. Her breathing became a bit shallow.

"Are you ok?" Ron whispered to her, but he wasn't looking at her, his eyes were on Sirius, warily watching him in case he showed any sign of victimization.

"I'm- I'm fine." She assured him, stuttering. Was that her voice? How did it become so squeaky and high-pitched?

_Breathe, Aimee, breathe_, she told herself, _just breathe and ignore that if you fail you shall be a miserable failure for the rest of your life … NO! Bad Aimee! Happy thoughts, like finally being able to get rid of that nasty potion and those horrible spells. That's right. Happy thoughts. _

"No one? Or are we going to have to do this by grabbing little papers out of a bag?" Sirius asked, annoyed. Nobody answered.

A few awkward moments passed.

"I'll go first, then." Aimee's head snapped to her brother. Pale, yes, but with a determined face he stepped forward. Aimee gawked at Harry. How in the world was he so brave?

_I wish I was a daring as that_, Aimee thought longingly as she watched Harry place himself a few feet beyond them. Her face became determined. _I won't be picked. I'll volunteer by myself… Er, after someone else passes. I'll be third. Yeah, third…_

"Right, everybody back up, He could be a big animal." Sirius warned, pushing everyone back. Harry took a deep breath. "You never know when a dragon can turn up." He continued. Harry's eyes widened and he- yes, Aimee saw- he _blushed_, but otherwise didn't say anything.

_Good Luck, Harry_, Aimee thought, hoping the message would somehow telepathically transmit itself to Harry's brain. Which didn't, but still.

Harry closed his eyes, deep in thought, as everyone held their breath. He took a deep breath, again, and clenched his fists, thinking furiously.

With a small _pop_, Harry disappeared. In its place was the most beautiful, furious looking animal Aimee had ever seen. Also, by far, the biggest. She had never seen one before, but she had read about them, heard about them, even seen drawings of them- but never- _never_, seen one.

Hermione screamed in surprise and she seized Ron by the arm, who was looking up at Harry disbelievingly.

"Oh, my _lord_…" Ginny whispered next to her, taking a few steps back. But Aimee couldn't speak. She was too surprised, too awed to speak.

Harry was a dragon. A beautiful red and black dragon, 3 meters high, or maybe more, stood before them. His scaly back was dyed with black, with pointy spikes on it, from the nape of its neck to the end of the long, elegant black tail. The snout and the belly, and the bottom part of the tail had slightly smaller scales, with a blood red color, and his eyes…

Bright green eyes stuck out from the black face, and a red scar in the shape of a lightning bolt right above them. The dragon gave a snort, and a few flames shot out from its nostrils. They all took a few steps back.

Apparently confused, Harry gave a step forward, and that seemed to finally sink in the reaction to everyone standing there.

Aimee took a step back and tripped, landing on the floor, hard on her bum, because she had been staring at the dragon and not where she was stepping. She opened her mouth and screamed, at first of fright, but ending it- even suprising herself- by laughing.

The huge dragon took a step back, its tail rearing, and colliding into the mirror, smashing it to pieces. The noise seemed to scare it even more, as jumped in the air, and it seemed, without thinking, its huge bat-like black wings batted into the air and it started flying- up, into the air, a good 10 meters in the air.

A few more shrieks form the girls, Ginny seized Hermione's arm and they dropped to the floor, shielding themselves from the strong wind the dragon had caused with the flapping of his wings, their hair flying in all directions.

"Harry! Harry, you're a dragon!" Aimee screamed up at him from the floor, she hadn't bothered to pick herself from the floor. The flapping of the dragon's giant wings made an immense wind, making Aimee's long hair flap about her face and all around, making it look like a rat's nest. She kept screaming, just for the fun of it- and joining Ginny and Hermione.

The dragon kept flying up, then finally stopping and coming down again. The ground shook as he landed. Ginny shrieked again.

And suddenly the dragon dissapeared and Harry took its spot, stumbling over a rock but regaining his composture.

"So? What d'you think?" He asked, his voice trembling with anticipation.

There was a silence for a while as Harry suddenly realized nobody was saying anything and just staring at him. For one, half the grass was dead, and in everybody's messy hair, specially the girls'.

And Ron was just kneeling there with the top of his hair in a strange angle, but he didn't notice. His hands dug into the earth and his jeans were covered in mud and grass.

Aimee was off worse. Her skirt had advanced up, exposing more thigh than normal, but she didn't seem to notice. Her hands, from stopping her landing too hard on the ground, were smeared in mud, and her hair was all over the place, with twigs and grass in it, and a splotch of dirt was on her cheek, and her sideswept bangs were now in her face. She pushed them back, tucking them under her ear, and splotched more dirt on her faceacross her forehead.

And Sirius, whose hair was shoulder-length, now looked like a Wannabe- James. Without the glasses. And he stared.

"You know, a dragon is a really powerful animal. I don't think I've ever heard of an animagus that is a dragon." Hermione said finally. Harry started breathing again.

"Well", he started, "Someone else goes now." He smirked at them all.

Silence followed as Aimee, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny looked at each other, ushering each other to go. Aimee picked herself from the floor slowly, adjusting her skirt in its original place, hoping nobody had noticed. Hermione got up and took Ginny's hand to help her up.

Sirius chuckled, waved his wand, and the mirror was repared.

Ginny took a step forward. "I'll go." She said softly. Harry grinned madly at her. He went and stood next to Sirius, giving a kiss to Ginny as they crossed passed. Sirius looked at Aimee, smirked, and waggled his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

"Don't remind me…" Aimee muttered under her breath

She took a deep breath and walked in front of the mirror, where she looked at herself for some time, pale and trembling, yes, and looking like she wished she hadn't stepped forward. She closed her eyes, and stood there for a long time, even longer than Harry. For a moment Aimee thought Ginny was too scared… But then, she transformed.

In her place stood a beautiful bright red fox with big brown eyes. The end of the tail was white, as the ends of her paws and under her belly.

The red fox looked at itself in the mirror and stared incredously. Aimee grinned. A fox suited Ginny remarkably- especially the bright red fur coat. And, well, Ginny always had had a sly way with boys- thus the foxy attitude.

"Aw, you're so cute, Ginny!" Hermione cooed, smirking at the fox. Aimee could have sworn it blushed. If foxes could blush. Or maybe they could? _Of course, with all that fur on their faces they ca- What am I thinking? _Aimee slapped herself mentally. Now she was just plain confused.

Aimee stomach did flip flops and she could feel her hands getting sweaty. She took a deep breath, knowing what was coming next. She opened her mouth to speak.

"I'll go next." She said timidly. Damn it, her voice had become a bit squeaky again! Sirius turned around to look at her and gave her a grin. After her transformation, she knew he wouldn't leave her alone until then.

She stepped up, Hermione giving her an encouraging smile, Ron gave her the thumbs-up. Ginny transformed back and gave her a smile, then walked over to Harry and interlaced her fingers through his and leaned on his shoulder. Aimee internally smirked. Ok, so Sirius _was_ good at matchmaking.

Just not with her.

And now, to more important matters. _You definitely shouldn't have volunteered. You are going to die_, an annoying voice told her inside her head.

"Rub it in, why don't you…" Aimee murmured under her breath. She positioned herself a few steps from the mirror.

_I am going to_ die, she agreed_. Knew you'd see my way_, the annoying voice answered. She closed her eyes and imagined the silhouette of her animal form.

_Come on, come on, help me here_! She prayed to whoever haunted her head. She tried concentrating more. But nothing happened. She peeked at herself and saw that she still looked like a plain old human.

Everyone was waiting for her, and the pressure was too much. Her breathing became faster. She couldn't do it. Something had gone wrong with her and she was a failure at being an animagus. She couldn't do it.

_Concentrate_! Her mind told her. _You can do it! Just concentrate_!

_I can't_! She argued. _I can't transform_!

It seemed like an eternity as she tried furiously to transform. She could feel her cheeks burning with heat and the drumming in her ears when she tried to hold back tears (**Hey, that rhymes**!)

_Come ON_! Aimee yelled at herself mentally. The picture of her animagus form came clearly to her head. And then, when she opened her eyes, it seemed she was somewhere else.

For one, a flurry of new smells came to her. She stuck her nose in the air and sniffed. Ooh, smelled like, like... wheat, maybe? And just pressed clothing, and…

She could smell a precise stalk of wheat ten meters away, and even see it. The sun seemed even hotter, and Aimee realized with shock, that black fur covered her body. Her sight even seemed better, actually. She blinked a few times and saw Sirius whooping, punching a fist in the air. He was pretty far away, but she could hear his voice quite clearly.

"YES! _That_ is truly a goddaughter of mine!"

She just _knew_ he'd react like that- her animagus form was a dog!

If she could've, she would've sighted. Sirius was whooping a _bit_ too happily. Yep, she could see that Harry was smirking at her. She'd have to get back somehow, him being a dragon and her a lamely dog. Hooray.

She walked cautiously to the mirror. It was a strange, funny feeling to walk on four legs. She peeked at her reflection.

A black-and-white dog stared back.

She contemplated at her size, not too big- but not Chihuaha-sized, either. An in-between size, you could say. Her fur was long and sleek, yet fluffy, the tip of her tail white, and wagging. She looked like she had dipped her feet and muzzle in white paint- the tips were the named color. Big, bright green eyes stared back at her- she recognized her own. She looked closer in the mirror, examining her new face. She put her hand- paw, actually, to the mirror, meaning to trace her newfound features with her finger, but alas, she had paws. She put her hand-PAW!- back to the firm ground.

Actually, now that she thought about it, instead of being icky and grassy like before, the floor seemed soft and mushy now, like a nice bed of mud.

Ooh, mud. Where could she find a puddle?

"Cool…" She breathed. Instead of a voice, a soft whine erupted form her mouth- muzzle? She was finding it incredibly hard to replace normal body parts by dog body parts.

Aimee looked away form the mirror and to Ron and Hermione.

"Your turn!" She meant to say, but instead a bark was heard. _Wow, that was me? Cool!_ Aimee thought. She barked again. And again. Ooh, this was fun! Hermione was giving her a hazardous look.

"Having fun?" Sirius asked dryly as she barked again. And Aimee got the most wonderful idea ever! Now she'd be able to get back at him. Pretending to be cute and innocent, she walked over to him, wagging her tail, and when she was close enough-

She jumped, her front paws landed on Sirius' chest and he toppled down with her on top.

"OI!"

Sirius fell down onto the ground, and Aimee took this opportunity to get back at what he did at the train station of France- she sat on him, her hind rear on his chest, her face to his, tongue hanging out.

She barked again, daring him to make a sarcastic remark. Sirius scowled at her and Harry was laughing his head off in the background. And then a thought struck her.

She could do the puppy-eyed look now!

After that, she wasn't really paying much attention, the smells were enough to keep her entertained. Her new sense of smell wouldn't stop bugging her.

She turned around and watched as Ron transformed, but wasn't able to see his animal form due to Sirius transforming and shaking her off him, then turning over and pinning her to the ground.

Compared to Sirius-Dog, she was tiny. She was only 3/5 his size, and he was fluffier, with more fur than her. Unlike his pointed ears, she had floppy black ones. And now, how to get off….?

She bit his ear. He yelped and jumped off. And Aimee transformed to human form again, smirking. Then, she noticed a bright orange cat sitting on the grass grouchily.

And bit her tongue in a bad attempt to not start laughing.

"Real cute, Ron!" Ginny said loudly, laughing hard. The cat hissed angrily and turned back into Ron.

"Not. One. Word." He grunted dangerously as he walked past them and stood moodily a few feet away. Aimee bit her lip and didn't say anything.

A loud cry of a bird made her blink and their heads snapped upwards. She squinted at the sky and saw that there was a hawk in the sky, flying high above their heads. A beautiful light brown hawk, with piercing, huge brown eyes.

"Hermione…" Aimee breathed. Hermione the hawk flew about in circles over all of them, experiencing this new feeling as she flew around. Finally, the hawk flapped its wings and perched itself softly on the tallest object; Ron's head. The hawk gave a small cry of happiness.

So that evening, a dragon, two dogs, a cat and a hawk went back to Grimmauld Place.

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The train whistled, signaling to the students that they should board, as they had only five minutes left. Parents hurriedly kissed their children's cheeks and let go as they clambered up the train steps. A few students were hanging out the windows, waving, others saying hello to friends.

"Got your things? Loaded your trunk?" Sirius asked as he hugged her. They were at _La Gare de Lyon_, the French train station, Aimee getting ready to board the train that would take her to her 7th and last year at Beauxbatons.

"I'll be _fine_, Sirius! See you at Christmas!" She said, letting him go. He pouted.

"Don't you love your godfather no more?" He said sadly. Aimee rolled her eyes.

"Maybe. But the train leaves in 2 minutes, so I have to board _now_."

"Ah. Right. Are you ready?"

"Of course I am. Well, see you on Christmas." She repeated pointedly, as the train whistled to let the students know it was either now or never. It reminded her of Hogwarts Express. Just two days ago she'd been there, saying goodbye to her brother and her friends, and also to say 'hi' to other people she hadn't seen in a long time, like Neville and Dean and Seamus and other Gryffindors. She had been so longing to get on that train, but, holding back tears, she had watched as her friends boarded it and then the train took them away.

And then she had had to spend two days at Grimmauld Place. Tonks had just gotten off a mission, and had been there for those two days, so they'd become fast friends, both having the same personality, as Sirius put it- their clumsiness.

"Goodbye, Aimee. Take care, will you?" He told her and let go. Aimee nodded and hopped on the train steps.

"Bye!" She cried, waving. Sirius waved back. Turning around, she marched into the hallway, her trunk floating next to her, peeking into compartments to check if any of her friends were there. She hadn't seen them on the station.

She spotted a mass of curly red hair opening a compartment door. "Oi! Benjamin!" She called. He stopped and looked around.

"I'm here, you idiot." Aimee said, advancing towards him. Still, the redhead pretended not to see her.

"Nobody here. _Strange_." Benji said in a mock worried voice, completely ignoring the black-haired girl standing three feet away.

"Is that Aimee outside?" A male voice asked inside the compartment.

"Nope, nobody there!" He chirped back.

"Oh, come on, stop being so-" She started, but-

_SLAM_!

Benji hopped into the compartment and slammed the door shut.

"BENJI!" She cried, and seized the door handle. "Stop being so immature! I'm right _here_!"

"That _is_ Aimee. Let her in, stupid." Charlie, from the inside, said. Aimee could even hear the smile in his voice.

The door opened a crack to reveal half of Benji's face. He squinted at her.

"Password?"

"_Excuse_ me?" Aimee blinked, raising her eyebrows. Her trunk still floated next to her. She flicked her wand and it came to a rest on the ground.

"WRONG!"

_SLAM_!

"Benjamin…" Aimee started in a warning voice.

"What?" A clearly taken aback voice asked inside. She didn't answer and grabbed the compartment door handle, sliding it open.

Inside was Benji, pouting at her and settling himself comfortably on a seat. Charlie was sitting across from him, his hand inside a bag, rummaging for something. When she opened the door he looked up and smiled at her.

"Hey, Aims." He said.

"You're no fun." Benji pouted at her.

"And you're such a gentleman." She answered sarcastically. She bent down to grab her trunk. "Can you guys help me with this?"

"Sure." Charlie said, getting up from his seat and leaving his bag. He picked up her trunk and the two hauled it over the rack.

"Thanks." She said and plopped down on an empty seat. "So, where's Adelaide?"

"Already bored of us?" Benji asked immediately, his eyes growing wide as if he were about to start bawling.

"Don't you like us anymore?" Charlie whined, pouting at her.

"Why are you so _mean_?" Benji cried out dramatically, putting his hand to his forehead and letting out a fake sob.

Aimee stared. Benji peeked at her face through his fingers and noticed her staring at them strangely. He dropped his pose. "Right. Well, we haven't seen her yet. I just found Charlie here just before you called out my name."

"Which _you_ ignored." Aimee added. Benji grinned at her.

"I saw Paola talking to _Ivonne_ just a while ago. Which must mean she's around here somewhere." Charlie said, adding much emphasis to the name 'Ivonne'. Aimee smirked.

Ivonne was one of Paola's friends, a pretty hazel-eyed girl with thick brown hair. And they all knew Benji had a huge crush one her, always looking like a stuttering idiot when around her. It was quite funny, really. Funniest part? Ivonne had no idea Benji liked her, despite all the heavy hinting from them all.

Benji pretended to be indifferent to Charlie and Aimee's smug way of looking at him.

"Good, because I have been waiting to show my latest invention," at this Benji smirked in a superior way, and Charlie rolled his eyes. "You've been talking about it in all your letters, and you haven't even bothered to tell what it actually _is_."

"It's a surprise!" he said, grinning.

"Spare me the details…" Charlie muttered under his breath.

The compartment door opened, and there stood a girl with thick long brown hair and big hazel eyes, followed by a girl with crazy-wavy dirty blond hair and chocolate brown eyes.

Aimee grinned as she said; "Hey, Sam, hey, Ivonne. How're you girls doing?" She risked a sideways glance at Benjamin, who was staring shamelessly at Ivonne. He'd start drooling any minute now.

Ivonne smiled. "We're ok. Had a nice summer?"

"Sure, you?" Benji interrupted, moving closer towards the exit of the compartment.

"It was ok. My little sister wouldn't let go of me, though. I didn't have a moment alone." She answered, smiling at the memory.

"Anyway, we haven't seen Elizabeth, and we figured maybe you guys would've seen her?" Sam asked from behind.

Charlie shrugged. "Well, no. Have you guys seen Adelaide, by the way?"

"Yeah, she's in our compartment, talking to Paola." Sam answered. "D'you want me to tell her you're looking for her?"

"Tell her to get her bum in rear and come _here_!" Charlie whined.

Ivonne rolled her eyes. "Yes, _master_." And the compartment door closed.

"How come she only talks to _you_?" Benji whined as soon as their footsteps were not heard.

Charlie smirked. "You have to say something more than 'sure, you' sometime soon, Benj, otherwise she won't pay attention to you."

"But what am I supposed to _say_?"

"Hello, Ivonne, had a nice summer? Oh, that seemed fun. I spent all mine pining after you and drooling at the million pictures I've taken of you when you weren't looking- OW!" Aimee cried, putting an abrupt end to her monologue as Benji had seized a fistful of her long hair and pulled.

"Don't touch my hair! It's _mine_!" She fended, giving Benji a mock slap on the hand. She tucked her hair behind her ears for safety. Charlie grinned.

Then the compartment door slid open- again- and there was Adelaide posing, flipping her hair back so forcefully that it flipped back and returned once again to its original place- in front of her face, but she ignored it.

"No fear! I have arrived!" She cried with a flourish, plopping down on the seat next to Aimee, laughing her head off.

"…Somebody's hyper." Charlie muttered to Aimee, and she stifled a giggle. Then he turned to them all. "I have an important announcement to make." He said grandly, puffing up his chest and holding his breath, Aimee, who was next to him, poked him on the side. Immediatley, he disenflated and he let out a tiny giggle-like laugh.

"Tee hee!"

Benji grinned at Aimee. "Hey, Aims, wanna do a redo of the train back home?"

"NO!" Charlie yelled, regaining his composture, and shimming away from Benji.

"What exactly _is_ your friggin' good news, then?"

"How can you be sure they're good news?" Charlie asked Adelaide suspiciously, "I said I had an announcement, not good news."

Adelaide raised her eyebrows at him. Charlie pouted. "Dammit. You know me too well." Adelaide smirked.

"Well, guess who's the captain of the Quidditch _teeeeeeaaaaaam_!" Charlie asked suddenly in a sing-song voice.

Aimee looked up. Charlie? Quidditch Captain? Well, well, well. "Hmm. Let me _think_…"

"That's a hard question, all right." Adelaide said thoughtfully, screwing up her face in concentration.

"It must be someone intelligent and sporty." Aimee said, fixing her face as if she was thinking hard. Charlie grinned and nodded fiercely.

"And who plays Quidditch well." Benji added.

"And he must be really, really gifted." Adelaide said dramatically.

"Of course, ME!" Charlie yelled. Aimee mock stared at him, Adelaide pretended to faint and she whispered loudly; "We're all doomed! DOOOOOOMED!" and Benji started laughing out loud. Aimee fell off her seat.

"You guys are abusing me." Charlie whined.

"You? YOU? Quidditch _Captain_?" Benji's eyes widened and he fell into another fit of laughter. Charlie crossed his arms moodily and scowled. "Yes, _me_."

"DOOOOOOOMED!" Adelaide screeched, seizing her curls and looking like a complete madwoman.

Benji sniggered, and then started laughed again, falling off his seat, joining Aimee on the floor.

"Charlie, you don't even begin to fall on the category 'smart'. You got and two, a _two_ for god's sake, on the last History of Magic test." Aimee said, raising her eyebrows. Ooh, teasing Charlie was so much fun!

"Aimee, you got a four." Charlie answered.

"Four and a _half_." Aimee said smugly. Charlie rolled his eyes.

"And we all know what happened the last time we played Quidditch…" Adelaide added, smirking at them both. Aimee and Charlie's heads snapped to face her. "Oh, wait, except Benji, who wasn't there." She added.

"What? What happened?" Benji asked automatically, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"Well, you see, Charlie wanted to-"

"NO!" Charlie and Aimee yelled at the same time, Charlie slapped his hand over Adelaide's, then withdrew it almost immediately.

"EW! She licked me!" Charlie said disgustedly, wiping his hand on Aimee's arm.

"Ew." Aimee said simply as she looked at her drooled arm.

Adelaide made a face. "No offense, Charlie, but you taste like poop." She said, wiping her tongue with her sleeve.

"So you _have_ tasted crap before?" Charlie asked her shrewdly.

Adelaide glared. "It's an _expression_, you idiot." She muttered.

Charlie smirked. "Hope the taste stays long. Now, who's up for a game of Exploding Snap? Ladies? Any volunteers? He asked, sticking his arm inside the bag and pulling out a pack of cards and a bar of chocolate.

"Charlie, you have and obsession with chocolate." Aimee laughed, "And you have to share."

"Why?" Charlie whined.

"Because if you don't, then I'll tell Benji what happened at the lake." Adelaide said smugly, the she added, "And the whole school."

"For God's sake, Charlie, share the damn chocolate!" Aimee cried, just as Benji yelled; "DON'T SHARE! We don't want chocolate!"

"No fair blackmailing…" Charlie muttered, then slapped a piece of chocolate on Adelaide's outstretched hand, then passed a piece to Aimee.

"I'm _here_!" Benji said indignantly.

"You said you didn't want any." Charlie said in a note of finality, and then they started to play, the game finishing with Aimee losing and the cards exploding in her face.

**A/N: FINISHED! This chapter was, by far, _the_ hardest to write. The animagi forms and everything… yah. I know, Harry Dragon. WTF, dude. Aimee was going to be a unicorn, but then I decided against it, since unicorns and Aimee… well, they don't really match. A dog suits her best- clumsy, loyal, playful, in a good mood most of the time… **

**Anyway, Harry was going to be a lion, in the beginning. I wrote it like that, then decided that, for the story's plot, lions weren't going to be very useful. Which means Harry would be useless. So then I chose dragon. You shall see why in chapter twenty- or thirty- something, depending on how fast or slow the story progresses.**

**And yes, I actually DO have a plot! A very interesting one, too, at that!**

**Now, if you want me to update again, REVIEW! I ain't updating till I get 7 reviews! And I mean it! That's why I didn't update for two weeks- the 7th one was missing. **

**Also helped by the fact I didn't know how to write this chapter. **

**So… review! And that means you, too, Toxic Doxie!**


	15. Killer Queen

**A/N: I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Anyone who recognizes a line from 'The Legendary Lilypad' gets brownie points!**

The sound of a few murmurs crowded around the common room bulletin board drew her attention from her Transfiguration Essay on Animagi. It was a week into school and already they were loaded with serious homework. She looked up, watching the crowd buzz excitedly.Aimee turned to the closest person at hand, Charlie, who was sitting down of the couch next to her, and was picking up his Charms books, preparing to begin homework.

"What's going on?" She asked him curiously. Charlie grinned.

"Don't know, Aimee?"

"_Maybe_ that's why I'm asking." Aimee responded sarcastically, rolling her eyes. She had learned the hard way that sometimes Charlie's cheerful moods involved him liking to tease Aimee hardcore.

"But maybe you already know and you just want a reason to talk to me. I mean, really, who _wouldn't_ want to talk to the powerful, hot Quidditch captain?" Charlie asked, grinning even wider at her. He struck a pose to prove his point about the hot, powerful Quidditch captain.

Aimee rubbed her temples with her fingers and closed her eyes, willing herself not to shut him up with a silencing spell. She leaned forward and asked, very seriously: "Charlie. What. Is. Going. On?"

"Do you really want to know? I'm not sure you can take the shocking news." Charlie said somberly. Aimee blinked at him and turned away.

"Adelaide, what's going on?" She askedAdela finally. Adelaide looked up her Charms homework. "Oh? You don't know? Quidditch tryouts are next week!"

Aimee didn't waste a moment of her precious Charlie-Glaring time.

"_What_?" He asked innocently, throwing his arms up in the air.

"Guys, I believe it is time." Benji said suddenly from behind them, carrying a box with him.

"No more friggin' riddles, please!" Aimee groaned, burying her face on one of the sofa cushions.

"Ok. What I meant to say was that my invention is complete. It'll be hitting the stores once I get a hold of a good joke shop. I can give you three a discount by 5 if you kiss my feet." Benji said happily, sitting down on the sofa next to Aimee and putting his feet up on the table, on Aimee's Transfiguration homework, the box on his lap. "Right about now!"

Nobody moved.

Benji looked skeptically at them. "Party Poopers." He muttered under his breath. Aimee looked up from her cushion to look at the box.

"What is it?" She asked curiously. Benji grinned, glad to have some attention. He didn't say anything, but only opened the box carefully. Aimee peeked over, but didn't see anything.

"VOILA!" Benji cried dramatically, seizing whatever was in the box and taking it out.

"It's a bird." Adelaide said blankly, raising her eyebrows.

"Not just an ordinary bird… it's a _magic, mechanical _bird!" Benji said excitedly, and he was the only one. There was a short silence in which they all stared at Benji, who was positively beaming. The bird was plastic, white in color, with painted red wings and a lever at the back, as if to turn it.

"Nice." Charlie said finally, in a voice of utter boredom. Benji's grin faltered, and he looked at Charlie with a hurt look on his face.

"You're _mean_." He said simply, and turned to the girls, his back to Charlie. "Alright, so, you turn this lever thing here," he began, demonstrating the turning of the lever three times, "and depending on how many times you turn it, it'll be the number of minutes it stays up in the air. For example, I turned it three times, which means it'll fly for three minutes." He smiled charmingly at Aimee and Adelaide, who were both staring at him with raised eyebrows. He positioned the bird in his hand carefully and grabbed Aimee's cushion, "And now, you _let go_!" The bird took off with a loud sqwack and loud batting of its wings, and Benji slammed the cushion on his head and dropped to the floor as it dove toward Adelaide, who screamed in surprise and jumped out of the way.

And then all hell broke loose!

Adelaide's scream had alerted the students there was something in the room, and there were a few yells of surprise as a few people pointed to the bird flying above their heads.

The bird, which was a good 20 or 30 cm long, gave a loud, piercing sqwack that made everyone jump, and with noisy, flapping wings, it took of, flying high up, touching the roof, and then diving down, sqwacking in a warrior-like way. Aimee could've sworn it screamed; "Till the END!" as it dove into the unsuspecting crowd, resulting in many screams of the girls and startled yells. Aimee herself screamed.

"It… is _alive_!" Benji yelled dramatically from under the pillow, then adding an evil laugh to the pandemonium.

"Benji, make that thing stop!" Aimee yelled as it whizzed dangerously by her head.

"_Impedimenta_!" Charlie bellowed, pointing his wand at the red-and-white blur. The spell hit the bird…

But it didn't stop.

"If you hit it with a spell, or say something bad about it, it attacks you! Oh, and the time doubles, so now it's six minutes!" Benji said delightedly, watching the bird as it gave an indignant cry and zoomed towards Charlie.

Charlie's eyes widened comically, he yelled and seized a pillow and put it on his head as the bird collided against it. The crowd quieted as they watched the bird peck their Quidditch Captain to death.

"BENJI! MAKE-IT-_STOP_!" Charlie roared, swatting at the bird blindly with the cushion. It only resulted in it trying to kill Charlie with more determination.

Benji was positively laughing his head off, the stolen cushion forgotten as he gasped for air and twitching on the floor as he laughed hard. He didn't seem to be able to do much now.

Then, hitting the bird away so it would crash into the wall (the crowd parted as they saw the bird smash feebly against the wall), Charlie seized his chance to save himself. Grabbing the box as the bird flew, screeching, back at him, he put it in front of him and with a BAM! The bird crashed inside. Then he slammed the lid on it and put a locking spell on the box, collapsing on the nearest chair.

"Whew!" He let out, and then collapsed back. The crowd cheered.

"Hey!" Benji said indignantly, sitting up. Charlie smirked at him, which still worked, considering that his hair looked like a shark had attempted to bite his head off, and the sleeve of his shirt was ripped.

"Is it over? Is that diabolical bird still there?" Adelaide whispered loudly, getting up from the floor.

The crowd applauded, cutting short when the box vibrated angrily. Everyone stared at the box fearfully. The box jumped up and down, spazzing.

"_Incendio_!" Charlie cried, wand pointed at the box. The box burst into flames.

"Charlie! It took me months to finish it!" Benji yelled angrily, taking out his wand to put out the flames.

"Well, your invention tried to kill me." Charlie argued, scowling. A sudden thud from the box made them look up. Charlie's eyes widened fearfully. There were a few collective gasps around the room as the cardboard from the box began to peel away.

"Benji… it doesn't stop once it's started… does it?" Aimee asked in a small voice. Benji grinned and shook his head.

"Charlie, I suggest you run," Aimee added in the same small voice, "Unless you don't want a bird on fire attacking you."

Charlie nodded, uttering a sound that seemed to be between a whimper and a whine as he said; "Oh, _shit_."

He got up slowly from his chair, and started backing away.

BANG!

The box completely broke, and then, a few girls shrieking, the bird flew out, and, just as Aimee thought, it was on fire, its wings being consumed by the flames, though it didn't seemed to be burning completely. On the other hand, it just looked like the fire was just on the bird.

And then, the bird opened its mouth a flames shot out, aiming at Charlie, missing Aimee and Adelaide by inches and burning Aimee's Animagi homework. She shrieked shrilly and seized Adelaide's wrist and dropped to the floor with her as the bird shot past her.

A collected scream ran through the students as the bird chased Charlie round the room. He yelled and shot random spells over his shoulder.

Benji looked up, getting up from his position when he had ducked. He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled: "Run, Charlie! Run as fast as your scrawny little legs can carry you!"

"I do NOT have scrawny legs! In fact, _you're_ the scrawny one!" Was the indignant reply, but this statement was followed by a pained yell. "AUGH! THE BIRD'S TRYING TO BURN ME _ALIVE_! IT'S LIKE SATAN RE-INCARNATED INTO A PLASTIC BIRD! SAAAAAAAAVE ME!"

"RUN!" Aimee yelled, watching Charlie's progress around the room as people dove onto the floor for safety, and Aimee noted that Charlie's jeans, around his ankles, were catching fire as the bird opened its mouth and directed the flames at his feet. She watched as Charlie seized his wand and squirted water at the bird, dying out the fire on it and himself.

But it didn't stop there. The bird opened its mouth and a cascade of water was sprayed on Charlie's face. Then it promptly gave a weak sqwack and dropped to the floor.

There was silence.

"Is it over?" A hushed voice form a second year girl called from behind a potted plant. Charlie looked at her, then back to Benji with the scariest expression Aimee had ever seen on his face. She cowered lower on the floor as Charlie marched, his eyes narrowed and smelling of burnt clothing, straight towards Benji, who grinned feebly at Charlie.

"He-e-ey, Charlie, my friend, how're you do-" He didn't finish his sentence, as Charlie seized him from the neck of his shirt and brought him close to his face.

"You will cut that bird into little pieces, burn it, and throw it in the lake." He said in a deadly quiet voice, "Understand?" he shook Benji by the neck of his shirt. Benji nodded meekly. "Good." He growled, and dropped him.

Then he marched towards the door to the boys' dormitory, one leg of his jeans burnt up to his knee, and dripping wet.

"He's so scary." Aimee whispered to Adelaide, who was crouching next to her.Adelaide nodded fervently.

* * *

The next morning, Charlie was back to his normal behavior , joking around, and he informed Benji that if he ever set that bird loose in the same room he was in, he'd choke him. Benji only laughed nervously after that, but turned to Charlie and told him they should set it loose at Jean-Pierre and Marianna's table. Charlie grinned after hearing this.

Although Charlie did seem to be a bit friendlier with the girls this morning…

And now, they were headed to History of Magic, the only one of the classes that Aimee didn't miss for her special tutoring with Monsieur Montgomery.

As soon as they reached the classroom, Charlie seized Aimee's arm and yanked her to the nearest desk at the back, away from Benji. "I don't want to sit with the guy who set the killer bird on me!" He whined, so Aimee smirked and sat down on the desk next to him. Adelaide rolled her eyes at Charlie as she sat down between Aimee and Benji.

And the lesson began. Charlie rested his head on the desk, gazing at the teacher, Monsieur Payot, lazily, and his eyelids began to close.

Aimee took a deep breath and concentrated on not falling asleep. _I will pay attention. I must pay attention to get a good grade. I really should concentrate on the class and not think about other things_, Aimee thought.

_I have to concentrate. Hear whatever Monsieur Payot is saying, actually listen, and concentrate. Must concentrate… Wait… What did he just say? Hmm. I wasn't paying attention. Dammit. _

She rested her head on the desk. She told herself that she'd only close her eyes, but listen to whatever the teacher was saying…

And she promptly fell asleep. She started dreaming she was back at Hogwarts, with Harry, and Hermione and Ron, and they were all going to a feast on Halloween, even though it was just September, and there was a dance, and then-

"Aimee! Aimee, for god's sake, wake up!" Charlie was hissing savagely at her. He poked her with the end of his quill, "Class is over, you dolt!"

Aimee opened her eye groggily, not really registering in her mind what was happening. "Mmm? What'd'ya say?" She moved to have a better look at him, but there was no more chair to move to, and she fell off her chair with a loud crash and bringing down half her books with her.

The whole class's headswhipped around to stare at her.

Now that she was properly awake, and realized what was happening, she gave a nervous giggle and she turned red.

"Um, I tripped." She said lamely. She began to pick up her books slowly, and Charlie bent down to help her, grinning at her and saying quietly so only she would hear him; "Way to go, klutz."

Aimee smirked at him. "So says the guy who got beat up by a plastic bird last nigh." Charlie's expression changed and he pouted.

"It was a killer bird on fire, Aimee!" He said, a strain in his voice. Aimee got up and took her book from Charlie's hands.

"Right, we all know how dangerous they are. My ears are still ringing from all you screamed last night. Oh, what were you screaming again? Oh, yes, now I remember," Aimee smirked at Charlie, who scowled back, "You were shrieking, 'save me, save me'! You sounded like a girl chipmunk on acid."

Charlie chuckled. "Ever heard a girl chipmunk on acid, Aimee?"

Aimee stopped walking, she could feel Charlie's eyes on her. "Well, no." She said after a pause.

"Want to hear one?"

"You better not touch those squirrels, Charlie! Leave them alone!"

"Dammit."

* * *

"Ooh, free period! Woohoo! Madame Cherubini is sick!" Adelaide said excitedly, looking at her schedule, which had a little green mark on it, signaling the teacher who taught that class was sick.

"Really? Too bad we have to go to the Study Room." Aimee said, sighting. Whenever they had a free period, it was off to the study room with them to do some homework, and there were two tutors there to help them if there were any problems.

They rounded to the door of the Study Room, _L'etude_, in French, and saw that there was a fifth year class already there. Aimee recognized it as Paola's class, which meant-

"Look, there's Ivonne, and there's an empty seat next to her!" Adelaide hissed in her ear. "Go sit with Charlie, I'll find someone, Benji's coming!"

Aimee nodded and seized Charlie's arm and led him to an empty seat. "Hey, I can walk by my-" He started, but then saw Aimee nodding towards the brunette girl. He stopped. "Oh." He said simply. Then he plopped down on the seat.

Benji was rounding the corner and going through the door, and Adelaide, standing right there and without someone to sit with, looked around fervently. Jacques was walking past, fumbling his books as he walked, not noticing anything around him. Adelaide immediately jumped him, and grabbed his arm, almost sending his books everywhere, and saying quickly, "Come sit with me!" into his ear, and yanking him to the empty seat next her, then slamming into the seat next to him.

Jacques looked utterly bewildered, that Aimee almost burst out laughing.

"Um, ok." She heard him say as he shrugged, setting his books down on the table, just as Benji came in and sent Adelaide a surprised look.

"Sorry, there were no seats left!" Adelaide mouthed at him, and Jacques turned around to stare at her.

"Um, Adelaide? What're-" Jacques started to say, but Adelaide turned around to face him and gave him a silencing look. Jacques stopped talking.

Aimee yanked opened a random book and stuck it in front of her face, giggling into its pages. Charlie sent her a mock strange look.

"Oh." Benji was saying now, looking around for empty seats- and the only one left was next to Ivonne. He blushed visibly, then turned around at Adelaide and mouthed; "I'll get back at you!"

Adelaide only smirked smugly. She waved her hand towards him dismissively, then turned to herhomework and was immediately engrossed in her book. Benji stood there, glaring at her, then walked over to Ivonne. She was doing an essay, a few pieces of parchment on the desk, and two opened books in front of her.

Benji walked over and slammed his books angrily on the table, making Ivonne look up startled. Benji blushed again.

Aimee saw Benji sit down and mutter an apology to her. Ivonne answered something back, and then- Aimee bit her lip, but still hid behind the book- they started a conversation in hushed voices.

"Stop spying on them!" Charlie hissed at her. Aimee turned to look at him, and said in a mock hurt voice; "Spy on them? Charlie, can't you see I'm doing this _highly_ entertaining Charms homework?" She waved her hand to the open book in front of her.

"Your book's upside down."

Aimee looked at the book. Indeed it was.

"And it's mine." Charlie smirked as he said this, and took his book back, pausing only to show her the cover, where he had written his name on. Aimee rolled her eyes and opened her own book, this time right-side up.

She began her Transfiguration essay on Animagi, the one she had started yesterday had been burnt by the killer bird, when Charlie interrupted her studies.

"Jacques fancies Adelaide, you know." He said quietly. Aimee looked up and raised her eyebrows at him. "Since 6th year. He told me." Aimee smirked. She looked over to Jacques and Adelaide. They were talking in whispers, and Jacques was explaining something or other to her, pointing at the book and waving his hand as if to explain. Adelaide hung onto his every word, nodding every once in a while. Then she smiled and said her thanks and returned to her work. Jacques smiled.

"I see. Want to start the Jacques/Adelaide Project?" She asked. Charlie chuckled.

"We're already doing the Benji/Ivonne Project, why not another one while we're at it?"

Aimee smiled. She dipped her quill in her inkpot and started to write.

"How come you're writing an essay on Animagi if you're already one?" Charlie interrupted again, lowering his voice at the last part. Aimee smiled.

"Schoolwork, you idiot." She said, rolling her eyes. "It's not like they know about it. Only Madame Maxime, Monsieur Montgomery and you three know about it."

"Ah. Well, speaking about animagi… You haven't told us, or showed us, for that matter, what animal you are." Charlie pressed, his voice curious.

"Well, that's too bad." Aimee said, shrugging, returning to her essay.

"I'll set Benjamin's diabolical bird on you."

Aimee stopped writing and thought about it. She turned to Charlie, who was smirking triumphantly, and sighted. "Deal. After school I'll show you. The three of you."

_Well, they should know anyway_, Aimee thought. Frankly, she had been too lazy to go to the forest and morph.

"But you have to tell me now what kind of animal you are. Now." Charlie pressed. Aimee turned to look at him with raised eyebrows.

"What makes you think I'll tell _you_? You're going to have to wait like Adelaide and Benji." Aimee said.

Charlie smiled that charming mischievous smile of his. "Either you tell or it's into the bird cage with you!"

"Cheater."

Charlie's grin grew wider. "So?"

"So, _what_?"

"Animal?"

"What about it?"

Charlie sighted. "You were telling me your animal form." He said pointedly.

Aimee sighted in a long-suffering way. "Fine. I'm a dog. A black-and-white dog."

Charlie looked surprised. "_Really_?" He said, the smirk completely wiped off his face.

"Yeah." Aimee answered, shrugging, and dip her quill into the inkpot again, but Charlie interrupted her once again.

"I like dogs."

Aimee's head snapped towards him and she glared. "That better not mean what I though it was." Charlie started chuckling, so Aimee pushed him off his chair and muttered; "Pervert," under her breath.

* * *

"Students," Madame Maxime stood up for an announcement, and the student body shushed.

It was the evening, during dinner, after Aimee had led her three friends to the edge of their forest and transformed for them. It wasn't until after the 11th time Benji had asked her if she wanted to play fetch that she regretted ever agreeing with Charlie. Maybe a spazzing bird would've been better to deal with.

Adelaide had been a good friend and been normal about it, but no, the boys were seizing every chance to tease her.

Now back to the speech.

"Due to the fact that You-Know-Who is back, we have arranged two drills; one during the day, and the other during the night. If you hear the alarm, you will get out of the castle immediately. To make sure that none of you stay in the castle, we have arranged for it to be an activity for the whole school. Some people have volunteered to help us dor the Death Eater Drill during classes. These are the instruction for the activity," She paused, and Aimee put her fork down, sensing this was something interesting.

"When you hear the alarm, you will run out of the castle. The people who have volunteered are allowed to perform only one spell on you. When they hit you with it, a bright red mark shall appear on you, depending where it hit you. When this activity is over, we shall see who got hit and who wasn't. Those who have the red paint on them will have a detention-"

She was interrupted by a collective groan throughout the Grand Salle.

"Sounds like paintball!" Aimee whispered.

"And the paint shall stay for a week. So I suggest you try not to get hit." Aimee could even hear the smirk in her voice. "That is all. " She finished. And the Salle began buzzing with excitement.

"That sounds cool! Like a real Death Eater Attack!" Adelaide said excitedly.

"I bet these people are going to try to get Aimee the most." Charlie said smugly, punching her arm playfully. "Run, Aimee, run. Look, Death Eater Dude. See Aimee. See Aimee ru-"

He was interrupted of his 'Dick and Jane' literature by Aimee, who chucked a bit of rice at his face.

"Hey! Bad Aimee! BAD!" Charlie slapped Aimee's hand softly. Aimee scowled.

"You guys are mean." She said. Then she smirked, "Of course, they'll all be after me, seeing as I'm so important." She waved her hand dismissively, hitting Charlie _accidentally_ on his face with her hand.

"Ow." He said, rubbing his cheek.

"Aimee, pass the salt please." Benji called. Aimee spotted the salt in front of her, grabbed it and passed it to Benji. Benji took it and looked at her evilly.

He grinned. "Good girl!" he cooed.

Aimee's eye twitched. She was never even going to make it through dinner if Benji and Charlie kept it up.

**A/N: Ooh, I liked this chapter! I can't believe it I finished it in one day! Well, this chapter was fun to write, anyway.**

**So, please review! I ain't reviewing until I get 7 reviews or more! Oh, and next chapter will be on Thursday, since I'm leaving Friday morning to England and pass a 2-week vacation with my family all around Europe! I'm so excited, I haven't seen them in 3 months! So, don't expect me to update for two weeks after next chapter, ok? Ok.**


	16. The Death Eater Drill

Once again bent over her Animagi Essay, Aimee was just missing three inches- the part to give a brief explanation on how to become one. She grinned, and started to write. Aimee was almost proud of herself, managing to write the same essay two times and even finishing it two days before due.

If only Adelaide and Charlie would stop nagging her about it.

"Please, let me just read through it, you're the one who knows the most about it! I know nothing!" Charlie whined, tugging on the sleeve of her white shirt.

"No, Charlie. You need to do the work yourself. Go ask the resident genius." Aimee muttered, swatting his hand away.

"Er… He's not here right now."

"Too bad."

"Come on, Aimee, please, just one little read! No copying, I promise!" Adelaide said, sitting down beside her and inclining her head to the side and pouting in a failed attempt of looking small and helpless.

"No. If you had started out 30 minutes ago, like _I_ did, _maybe_ I could've finished by now, and you guys would've been half-way, and _maybe_ I could've helped you!" Aimee said angrily, writing so furiously that her quill broke. She put it down in exasperation and looked up. Charlie stopped tugging on her sleeve and thought for a second.

"So… You'll help us?" His tone of voice left the whine and adopted a happier note.

"No. You annoyed me now, and you've been annoying me all day, every day, for two days, ever since the Animagus thing."

"But_ I_ haven't!" Adelaide argued. "Not _one_ little comment on your Animagus Form!"

Aimee sighted. "Well, I suppose… But still, just let me finish, and I'll go help you. And get help from Benji. He owes Charlie big time anyway."

"Um… Benji? Ask him? Well, um, he's a bit… uh, kinda not able to help anybody with their homework…" Charlie said slowly, passing his quill from one hand to the other, staring at it intently. Aimee looked up and raised her eyebrows.

"Where's Benji?" Aimee asked suspiciously. Adelaide turned to Charlie, too.

"Yeah, I haven't seen him for a while…" She said, furrowing her eyebrows. "Charlie, what did you do to him?"

"Nothing!" The answer was a bit too quick. Adelaide and Aimee exchanged glances.

"Charlie…" Adelaide started in a tone a mother would use when she knows her little boy is hiding something behind his back. "Tell us where Benji is and what you did to him. _Now_." Charlie cowered under Adelaide's powerful glare.

Quietly, he pointed upwards. Adelaide's sight snapped towards the ceiling and her mouth dropped. Aimee looked at Charlie confusedly and slowly averted her eyes towards the ceiling. She closed her eyes and muttered a swear word under her breath.

"Charlie, get him down _now_." Adelaide said, starting towards Charlie angrily, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"But, Addie! He _likes_ it!" Charlie pleaded,

"He does _not_!" Adelaide argued indignantly, a hint of hysteria in her voice.

Aimee didn't say anything as she looked up at the ceiling in wonder, her mouth partly open. "Oh my _lord_…" She whispered softly.

The sound of Charlie and Adelaide's bickering grew mute to her ears. She watched Benji, who had been tied up, and was dangling 2 meters above their heads, his feet kicking relentlessly. He opened his mouth over and over again, his expression pleading, but no sound came out. Charlie had put a silencing spell on him.

"Get him down! NOW!" Adelaide yelled in a frustrated tone, and, in Aimee's opinion, a bit squeakish. Aimee let her sight wander away from the not-too-happy Benji and she looked at Charlie, who was apparently laughing at Adelaide's attempts to get Benji down herself with her wand with no avail, to Adelaide, who had now given up and was now trying to scare Charlie into letting Benjamin down by glaring with all her might.

"You want me to get him down?" Charlie said delightedly, and he flicked his wand, "Ok, _fine_!"

Aimee jumped out of the way as Benji came crashing down at high speed, landing with a loud SHMOOF on a nearby sofa, where two girls had been talking- two very familiar-looking girls… The two stopped talking and the girl closest to Benji screamed, who was struggling against the rope and opening and closing his mouth, trying to yell for help.

Aimee had to smash her face against a cushion from screaming with laughter, the girls on the sofa had been none other than Paola and Ivonne!

Charlie smirked and sat down, then seized Aimee's essay, pulled it to his blank piece of paper, and started writing furiously as his head snapped back and forth between Aimee's Animagi Essay and his.

Adelaide let out a long-suffering sigh and collapsed on a chair, muttering curses in Spanish and crumpling her three-line Animagi essay hatefully.

"Benjamin? What the hell?" Paola, peeking sideways at Benji, asked. Ivonne, who had been the one who screamed, turned around and stared.

Finally Aimee took pity of Benji, who was now looking like a tomato, his cheeks flushing red, and flicked her wand. The ropes around Benji's torso and arms disappeared and he was able to speak again.

Ivonne just stared.

"I, uh…" Benji stammered. Both girls stared with partially open mouths. Paola raised her eyebrows.

"CHARLIE DID IT!" Benji yelled suddenly, pointing at the innocent looking Charlie, who was 'working hard' and copying Aimee's homework. Aimee stopped trying to intoxicate herself with the cushion and looked up, as did Charlie. She saw her homework next to his.

Adelaide looked at the racket forming, looking from Aimee, who had gotten up and was marching towards Charlie and yelling; "_What_ did I tell you about copying _my_ homework, Charlie?" to Benji, who was rolling up his sleeves and walking towards Charlie yelling; "You'll pay, Charlie!" to Ivonne who was still sitting on the couch, looking confused, to Paola, who had fallen off the sofa in fits of laughter, to the third year boy who asked her; "What's going on?"

"I don't know them." Adelaide muttered, picking up a random book and putting it in front of her face, covering most of it. She put her legs up on the couch and looked away, not noticing the book was upside down.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Aimee awoke with a start, sitting up so fast that her hair, which had been done in a neat braid- slapped over her shoulder and stayed to the front. "It was a dream, Aimee, breathe…" She whispered to herself in consolation, but a horrible guilt consumed her.

The last nightmare she had had back at Hogwarts, exactly a year ago, had come true.

Aimee groped for the alarm clock on her nightstand, breathing hard, drawing deep, cleansing breaths. She squinted at the small red numbers on the clock; 11. 03.

"God, I've been asleep for an hour and already I have nightmares…" She muttered, closing her eyes, trying hard not to think about the nightmare she had just had, a feat she failed. She laid her head on her pillow again, but she couldn't sleep, the nightmare was coming back to her again. Groaning frustrated, she got up and opened the top drawer of her night table, rummaging in the dark, and pulled out a small book, its color not visible in the dark, and then felt the top of the small table until she found her wand and a quill.

Yawning as quietly as she could, she pointed her wand to the small book and murmured a spell, one to cast a light over the book that only the caster could see, in this case Aimee, so she wouldn't wake up the other girls in her dormitory.

Remembering suddenly she needed ink, she stuck her hand once again inside the open drawer and found what she was looking for.

Aimee then dipped her quill inside the bottle and started writing on the blank page.

I just had this really horrible nightmare now. It started out ok, but then I got really scared. I dreamt I was in a field of flowers, making this tiara thing out of the stems and flowers. 

Suddenly Charlie turned up and he led me away, to this canyon where I saw most of the people I know in Beauxbatons. Charlie was charmingly smiling at me, the way that he does when he's just finished a prank or done something to impress people. 

Or sometimes he just smiles at me that way just because. Actually, Charlie looks really handsome when he smiles like that. But anyway. That's beside the point. 

Aimee stopped writing to think about what she had just written. Well, it was true. It made her feel all giggly inside, having guy friends didn't leave any room for flirting.

Anyway, then these huge dogs, about my size, attacked us, and then horrible black monsters started killing people. Charlie and I escaped, along with a few others, but we got lost and were separated from them.

What really scared me was that the monsters seemed intent on killing Adelaide. They cornered her and were about to kill her when Benji saved her, pushing her away, but he died saving her life. His image...

He was all bloody, as the dogs had attacked him fiercely, and his eyes were black. I could hear Adelaide's hysterical screams, echoing in my ears, and I couldn't escape from them. 

I could hear the others, calling for help while those monsters massacred them mercilessly. I could even hear the soft growling of the dogs as they found Charlie and me, and we were trapped.

Aimee bit her lip as she paused, resting her hand. Her quil hovered in the air as she hesitated to write what was next. She dipped her quill again and wrote once more.

One of the dogs lunged at me, but Charlie pushed me out of the way, like Benji ghad done to Adelaide. The dogs attacked him and started biting him, and he disappeared under the mass of dogs that jumped on him. 

I couldn't even hear my own screams. It was as if somebody had plugged my ears and I couldn't hear anything. 

The dogs ran away, but Charlie wasn't there anymore. Instead of a body, I saw just one of the dogs, but instead of those hateful red eyes, they were Charlie's eyes. 

Then Charlie lunged at me and bit me, and the he laughed coldly. He turned to human again, but instead of Charlie, I saw Malfoy. 

Draco Malfoy. I haven't seen him in a year. I haven't had a thought of him since then, since he left Hogwarts to be Voldemorts servant and-

_BRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!_

"Oh, come _on_! Not now!" Adelaide complained from the neighboring bed. "_Why_ must that freaking Death Eater Drill thing be _now_?"

Aimee jumped a foot in the air with a surprise squeal and fell off her bed, diary, quill and inkpot, that crashed on the floor two inches away from her face. The diary fell with a soft _flump_ on the ground and Aimee sighted. Getting out of the school was the last thing she felt like doing after such a scary nightmare, which she hadn't even finished describing in her diary, but the end hadn't been that important. Malfoy had captured her and then she had been blinded, and then woke up.

But she knew she had to get out, or if they found out she had stayed in bed she'd probably get detention.

She got herself out of bed and grabbed a pair of trainers and slipped them on her feet lazily, not bothering to tie up the shoelaces. She grabbed a random white sweater from her wardrobe and slipped it over her blue spaghetti strap shirt. She was glad she had decided to put her pajama pants tonight. She wouldn't want to go around the school in the mini shorts girls were wearing for pajamas these days.

For example Sophie, who had braided her dirty-blond hair into to two braids and was wearing a pair of mini shorts, and was opening the door as she and Gaelle trailed out.

"Come on, Aimee, we have to go." Adelaide said wearily as she pulled on a sweater over her dark green pajamas. Aimee nodded sleepily and stumbled out the door to meet the guys at the Common Room and get out together.

She opened her eyes a bit more to search for Charlie and Benji, and almost doubled over laughing as she spotted Charlie- all he was wearing was a pair of dark blue boxers with the phases of the moon on them, and a gray t-shirt, along with a pair of the white school socks (but no shoes) and looking like he had dragged half his bed with him- he had a dark red blanket draped over his shoulders.

It also helped the funny image by the way his hair was all tussled and his eyes were closed as Benji dragged him towards Aimee and Adelaide.

Benjamin, on the other hand, looked like he had known the Drill would be tonight, and looked quite hyper-active himself, grinning and whistling a random tune.

"Hey, girls! How's it going? Nice night, ain't it?" Benji grinned. Charlie only mumbled something under his breath and rubbed his eyes sleepily.

Aimee resisted the temptation to give him a hug and say; 'Aww!' He was so cute, dressed in his boxers, a t-shirt, and a blanket draped over his shoulders, looking all sleepy and yawning.

"_Perfect_ night for a drill, Benjamin." Adelaide answered sarcastically. Aimee rolled her eyes. They started walking towards the exit, Aimee grabbed Charlie's other arm to keep him from crashing against walls and small second years.

"God, Charlie, will you just open your eyes?" Aimee said, tugging on his arm. Charlie yawned.

"You know I was sick yesterday? With a fever? I didn't sleep all night and I was practically _dying_ today… And they keep me up another night… " He said, stifling another yawn and trying at the same time to lean his head on Aimee's shoulder, only to miss and almost fall over. Benji laughed and pulled him straight, and Aimee tightened her grip on his arm.

"You look like you're having a hangover." Adelaide commented as she stepped out the door and onto the hallway. There was a general grumbling in the air as they walked to the Grand Salle, where the doors to the outside were. They had to cross the hallway, go down two flights of stairs, turn a left and then they'd be at the Grand Salle.

"Sure feels like it…" Charlie mumbled, trying to pry open his eyes and stumbling a bit instead.

Aimee sighted as she looked up, seeing as they were almost reaching the stairs. The students were moving too slow and quietly.

Aimee shuffled her feet slowly, wanting to just crawl back in bed and start snoring.

"You know, I wonder if-" Adelaide started to say, but she was cut short by a scream, coming from down the stairs.

A _scream_.

Adelaide stopped and her eyes widened. The 5th years behind them stopped. Aimee felt her veins run cold.

A scream on a drill? They were supposed to go quietly and quickly. Aimee couldn't help but get nervous. Charlie's eyes opened immediately and Aimee felt his arm in hers tense as he listened.

"I can hear people running downstairs." Charlie whispered, narrowing his eyes in confusion. Aimee looked at him strangely, she couldn't hear any activity downstairs, but then again, Charlie had always had a good sense of hearing.

Silence filled the hallway and people stopped to listen. A cold feeling swept over Aimee and she started feeling uneasy. Charlie pulled his arm away from her death grip and his eyes were wide open now, listening intently and a concentrated expression on his face.

"What was that?" Samantha asked quietly behind them. Nobody answered, Aimee could feel her heart thumping in her throat.

Another shriek pierced the air.

Aimee stiffened and grabbed Charlie's arm again, feeling extremely frightened and wanting to be close to someone who could at least defend her. Adelaide's eyes widened as she looked at Aimee with a petrified expression on her face.

Aimee's breathing became shallow and she felt her stomach do a somersault and her knees go week, like whenever she was really scared. Adelaide paled.

A third scream was heard, followed by two more.

Nobody moved.

"Maybe it's a joke." Charlie whispered hoarsely, but as soon as the words left his mouth, the loudest scream was heard, right at the bottom of the stairs, and Aimee felt like screaming herself.

"HELP ME!" A young girl's shriek- probably a first year- was heard just below the stairs. Her voice echoed eerily around the hallway they all stood in.

Ivonne covered her mouth with her hands, and she seized the arm of the closest person at hand- Benjamin. She was emitting whimpering sounds as if she was about to cry. Benji tensed, torn between fear and embarrassment.

"Charlie, I'm scared." Aimee whispered to him, and she blinked her eyes, feeling like she was about to cry. Her voice seemed squeakier and more frantic than usual. Adelaide backed up as rushed footsteps went up the stairs, and the group of fifth years, two third year girls, and the four of them took a few steps back and waited as the one who was coming up was appearing in the doorway.

Aimee had a dread feeling forming in the pit of her stomach and she prepared to yell if there was any trouble, her grip tightening around Charlie's arm and her fingernails digging into his skin, but he didn't do as much as notice, his eyes were fixed on the stairway arch.

A shadow appeared on the wall facing them- the one climbing up the stairs. Aimee heard herself whimper softly as Adelaide was muttering something in Spanish under her breath with a horrified expression on her face.

Two little hands reached from the darkness. A soft panting and frantic crying was heard. Aimee stiffened, then, her eyes widening, saw who was coming up the stairs.

Gabrielle Delacoeur.

For a moment, nobody did or said anything, just stared at the small first year pant heavily as if she had run ten miles, her silk pajamas dirty at the bottom and barefoot. Her long sheet of white-blond hair was a bit tussled, and tears were running down her cheeks as her face contorted in fear.

"They're here," Gabrielle whispered finally, her big blue eyes locking with Aimee's.

"_What_?" Adelaide asked faintly. She collapsed against the wall and leaned against it for support.

Aimee rushed forward as Gabrielle was taken over by a fit of sobs. She took the small girl in her arms, trying to ignore the panicked yells coming form downstairs. Gabrielle gratefully swung her arms around Aimee's neck, though she had only met her once- at the beginning of the year, at the feast. Gabrielle had come up to her and introduced herself. Aimee had recognized her immediately as Fleur's sister. She remembered vaguely that Bill and Fleur were getting married next year during the summer.

Ivonne and Elizabeth had come forward to the small girl's aid.

"Gabrielle, who's… _they_?" Aimee asked her slowly. She dreaded the answer, even as Gabrielle sobbed on her shoulder, her small hands tightening around her hair, made into a messy braid.

Ivonne stared at the little girl with a scared expression on her face, though she still put a hand on Gabrielle's shoulder and waiting patiently for her answer.

"Them… The _Death Eaters_…" Gabrielle whispered back fearfully. "It isn't fake… It's _real_."

Aimee felt like someone had thrown a bucketful of cold water over her head. She looked over her shoulder, to Charlie, whose blanket had fallen off his shoulders and was looking at her, waiting for an answer, and his eyes… What was that that Aimee saw? It was the look Aimee couldn't place. Serious, maybe? Charlie had always been cheerful and active.

But now, there was no smile on his face. She supposed he had heard what Gabrielle had said.

Adelaide had heard Gabrielle, too. She had slumped against the wall and was trembling as she hugged her knees to her chest, her face pale. But the others still looked confused.

"Aimee, they're here," Gabrielle whimpered.

"Gabrielle, what-"

"_There are Death Eaters down there_!" Gabrielle sobbed hysterically, her voice now echoing on the wall. The truth finally sank in. Everyone in the hallway had heard now, and there were fearful whispers.

"Death Eaters?" One of the third year girls asked. She and her friend clung to each other and began to back away.

Then she heard it. There were a few male voices coming form downstairs. And they were yelling that they had heard somebody up here. And then a few shadows appeared on the opposite wall, coming up the stairs.

Aimee froze. Gabrielle whimpered and her grip got tighter. The air tensed.

"THERE! I SEE THEM!" A hooded figure yelled, pointing to the teenagers on the hallway.

"What are you all waiting for? RUN!" Charlie bellowed at the packed hallway, and the two third year girls took off. Paola grabbed Adelaide's arm and the two sisters ran for it, with Sam trailing behind. Benji rushed forward and grabbed Ivonne and Elizabeth, each by an arm and hauled them off their feet and fled with them.

Charlie, as soon as he yelled that, rushed forward and grabbed Aimee's arm, helping her up, then grabbing Gabrielle and sliding an arm under her knees and the other on her back.

"Let me carry her, she isn't as fast as us," Charlie said hurriedly as he lifted Gabrielle in his strong arms. They spared a glance at the archway stairs- they were coming up now.

"I can see _her_ now! THERE SHE IS!" Another hooded figure bellowed, pointing at Aimee.

"RUN!" Charlie roared, and both he and Aimee sped up. Aimee could see the others in the distance, Benji had pushed Ivonne and Elizabeth forward, telling them to keep running, and then came forward to Aimee and Charlie, who was trailing behind her with fatigue.

"Let me carry her, Charlie! Two days ago you were sick, and I'm on the track team! I run faster!" Benji said hurriedly to Charlie, seizing Gabrielle quickly and taking off in the other direction with her, nodding quickly to Aimee and giving her a warning glancing, telling her to hurry up.

But she couldn't. As soon as Gabrielle had left Charlie's arms, he collapsed against the wall, panting.

"Charlie! You can't stop now!" Aimee shrieked, grabbing his right arm and pulling hard, feeling close to hysteria. Panic was gripping her heart.

"Transform and run, Aimee." Charlie said softly. His teeth were clenched as he leaned against the wall, but his dark greenish-brown eyes were staring into hers.

"No! What is _wrong_ with you?" Aimee said angrily, punching his arm as hard as she could, doubting whether it had hurt him.

"Last nigh was fu…" Charlie stopped to pant some more and he took a deep breath. "Come on." He said suddenly, heaving himself off the wall and starting to run, and Aimee followed him. They ran until Aimee could run no more. She saw a classroom door in the distance.

"Hide… there, in that classroom…" Aimee panted as she opened the door. Charlie walked in, panting hard. Aimee was close to dying with fatigue. She sat down on a desk and tried to breathe as noiselessly as possible. Her hair was coming out of its neat braid and a few loose strands of hair surrounded her face. She pushed them away impatiently off her face.

"Aimee? Is that you? Charlie?" asked a voice that echoed around the classroom. Aimee fell off the desk loudly. Surprise had overtaken her.

"_Adelaide_?" Aimee asked incredulously as Adelaide and Paola emerged from behind the teacher's desk.

"We lost the others and hid here." Paola said quietly. Her face was exaggeratedly pale, and she was shaking, looking close to tears.

"Shh!" Charlie hissed, dropping suddenly to the floor and motioning for the others to do the same.

"_What_?" Aimee whispered urgently, but nobody answered, except for Adelaide, who put her finger to her mouth and nodded to behind the desk. And sure enough, as silence fell, Aimee heard a few footsteps coming their way.

She scrambled behind the desk and pulled her knees up to her chest in a sitting position, just as panic hit her again. Charlie nodded to the girls behind the desk, and hid behind the door.

"Charlie! No!" Aimee mouthed at him, but he just shook his head. They both hadn't taken their wands with them, and Paola had lost hers along the way. Aimee barely noticed that her braid had come completely loose, and that her hair band had been lost.

Adelaide put an arm around Paola's shoulders, as she had gone white. Paola covered her mouth to stop herself from breathing too hard, her eyes threatening to overflow and she looked more frightened than any of them.

They waited in silence as the door creaked open. Footsteps were heard, just as Aimee's heartbeat raced even faster.

There was a Death Eater in the classroom, and all her protection was a measly desk hiding them?

"You can come out now, Aimee, I know you're in here."

Paola tensed as she heard whoever said it, and he was speaking English.

But Aimee had to slap her ands over her mouth to keep herself from screaming out loud. She knew that voice.

**A/N: Brownie points to whoever guesses who said the last bit of dialogue!**

**I know I've been gone for two weeks, that's because I was on vacation, touring all around Europe with my family. We moved quite a lot and I couldn't take my laptop with me. **

**Plus, I just finished reading the _Da Vinci Code_, and I gpt seriously obsessed and couldn't stop reading until I finished. Sorry. **

**Anyway, for those two weeks of waiting, I have decided to give yeh some random trivia!**

**-Adelaide's name was originally Marie, and Benji's was Pierre, and Charlie's was Simon. Yeah, I know. Weird. **

**-Paola and her friends were named after real people, as is Marianna. They're all faithful reviewers who have been with me for a year since the first part of the Harry Potter Code, which, uh, hehe, has been deleted. I'm editing it, though! One of those girls' names is mine, though, hehe. But I'm not telling which!**

**- Dolores Umbridge's name is actually words in another language. _Dolores_ means 'pain' in Spanish, and _Umbridgen_ means 'kill' in German. She doesn't appear in this story but I said the trivia was random!**

**-I only post if I get 7 reviews or more for the last chapter. (HINT HINT)**

**And that's all the good trivia. I can't think of anything else. REVIEW!**


	17. The Death Eater Drill: Part 2

**A/N: ((edges into screen guiltily)) I SOWWY. I do realize it was two weeks since I've updated, then promised to write more and then another two-week wait…**

**Yeah, I have no excuses. Sorry. Besides, I had a huge writer's block. **

Aimee leapt out from behind the desk, armed with nothing, but not caring in the least.

"_What_ the hell are you doing here, Sirius?" She snarled angrily. Charlie had been three inches from grabbing him around the neck and bringing him down, but surprise had taken over him.

Sirius took out his wand from the black robes, and held it up high so they could see it.

"Don't attack." He said softly, and threw his wand to the floor. Aimee blinked. What was going on? Why was Sirius at the school on a Death Eater attack? How had he found them? Was he there to rescue them? Or was he with the Death Eaters?

"What are you doing here?" Aimee repeated disbelievingly, torn between confusion and anger.

"Ok, where to start?" Sirius said, putting a finger to his lips as if he was thinking.

"You're not in a position to chat, you know." Charlie growled from behind him. Sirius whirled around and took a step back from him in surprise, obviously not knowing he had been there.

"I'm not a Death Eater, if that's what you mean." Sirius told him dryly. Charlie's face went from angry to confused. "Nor is this attack," He paused and looked at Aimee in the eye, "real."

"_What_?" Adelaide said, furrowing her eyebrows.

"It's a _drill_." Sirius said, widening his eyes at her as if it was the obvious.

"But the Death Eaters attacked!" Paola blurted out.

"Exactly. A _drill_. Madame Maxime got some people to _pretend_ they're Death Eaters. There is no Death Eater attack. The school isn't being attacked. _It's all fake_." Sirius continued, going to pick up his wand. "I volunteered to pretend to be a Death Etaer, since they thought they could use someone who knew who Aimee Potter was and where to find her. Technically, Aimee, you were one of the most important targets." At this Sirius smirked.

Aimee just stood still, arms at her side. It was all making sense now. Madame Maxime had said it was a drill, then got some people to act as Death Eaters to see how students would react and how fast they would get out…

"So what do we do now?" Charlie asked. Aimee looked up.

Sirius stood up and pocketed his wand inside his black robes, then put the hood up, "You keep pretending. I captured you, so now, you're captured." He said simply. Charlie blinked, sighted and then went and sat down on a desk.

"I'm so tired. I wish it'd would've been some other night." Charlie said quietly, putting his head in his hands.

"No, because then it would be almost the same day as the daytime dr-" Sirius stopped abruptly and started another sentence, "Uh, why are you so tired?"

"So the daytime drill is one of these days, right?" Adelaide asked, grinning. Sirius nodded guiltily.

"You weren't supposed to hear that."

"And how would you know?" Aimee asked shrewdly, walking closer to Sirius, who looked guiltier than ever now.

"Well, you see-"

"Oh my god! You're going to be there! You're going to be at the paintball thing!" Aimee laughed, hitting Sirius upside the head.

"OW! What the bloody hell was that for?" He hissed angrily, rubbing his head.

"For scaring us!" Aimee answered angrily, and looked around the room. Paola was sitting on the teacher's desk with Adelaide, and the latter was smirking as she watched them bicker. Charlie, forgotten, had sat down on the chair and laid his head on the desk, and was unmoving now.

"Charlie? Are you ok?" Aimee asked him worriedly, and his head came up.

"I'm fine, thanks. Just resting." He said softly, smiling weakly at her. Aimee didn't see Sirius smirking behind her.

"Well, you four are my slaves now, so we go out and wait for it all to be over!" Sirius said cheerfully, breaking the comforting, sleepy silence. Charlie mumbled something incoherent and fell off his chair.

Aimee giggled.

"I want my blanket back." Charlie groaned, sounding like the most adorable 5-year-old in the world. Aimee resisted the temptation to run over and hug him, he looked and sounded so cute as he picked himself of the floor and headed for the door.

"Why so tired, Charlie?" Sirius chuckled.

"Had a fever. Last night." Adelaide answered for him. They all walked out the door, Charlie complaining that he could just go and lie down on his bed, being captured and all.

Aimee sighted. She felt like going to bed, too.

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Aimee put her head in her hands, which proved to be rather difficult while Charlie's head rested on her shoulder, fast asleep. Aimee felt like dropping dead right then and there, but being wide awake now, she knew it would be rather difficult to get back asleep.

They were outside now, sitting in the grass, the excited chatter of students sharing experiences, and sometimes a few shouts of laughter, coming from a students who were just being informed that it was, indeed, a drill.

Getting out of the castle hadn't been easy. There were other 'Death Eaters' who didn't know Aimee had already been 'captured'. One had even gone as far as jumping out at her from the shadows. Now they were outside, waiting for everyone to be out so they could go back inside and go back to bed.

Aimee shifted herself slowly, hoping not to wake Charlie, who had found his blanket on the way back and had decided then and there that he'd go back to sleep.

He had literally laid down on the floor and went to sleep, the others kicking and screaming and throwing fits, when Benji found them. He'd heard about the drill, and then crouched down and screamed right into Charlie's ear.

That had gotten him up.

Aimee picked a bit of grass lazily and looked around. Benji was snoring a little way off, laying down on the grass and sleeping. Paola and Elizabeth were speaking in low voices, sitting cross-legged on the grass, while Ivonne and Sam lay face up on the ground looking up at the stars. Adelaide was calming Gabrielle, who still hadn't gotten over the shock. She was singing her a lullaby.

Aimee smiled. Adelaide sang pretty good. Aimee recalled hearing Adelaide admit once that she took music classes in the summer. Her parents had made them choose an instrument and put them in chorus classes. Adelaide played the piano, and Paola played the violin.

Her family had always been very cultural, what with the music classes, and learning all the languages, plus the poise classes Aimee was sure they both took. Adelaide, despite being a bit of a tomboy, hanging out with guys all the time, was graceful and always held herself in such a flirtatious, girly way that made Aimee almost jealous.

Aimee, on the other hand, crashed into chairs and knocked things over, much like Tonks.

Charlie sighted, breathing deeply, and shifted position, then returning to the dead-like state he had been in.

_If he starts drooling, I'm getting up_, Aimee thought, watching Charlie sleep. His face was so near that Aimee could see almost every detail in his face. She could see his eyebrows perfectly well, and she could see the almost faint outline of small scar running down his face, next to his right ear.

_Quidditch accident, I suppose_, Aimee mused. She kept watching him, noting every detail on his face. She could even see every single dark brown eyelash on his closed eyes, his straight, rather long nose and the few hairs falling down on his face gently, shielding the rest of his face from general view.

Charlie moved suddenly, his eyes blinked a few times, and he gave a deep breath as he woke up. Aimee quickly averted her eyes elsewhere without moving her head much, knowing that any fast head movements would give her away and he'd know she had been watching him.

He gave an; "Mmmh." as he shifted, turned, surprisingly keeping his head on Aimee's shoulder and went right on sleeping.

_Charlie moves way too much in his sleep_, Aimee thought. She looked away, to where Adelaide was still singing the lullaby to Gabrielle. She had Gabrielle on her lap, and the small half-veela girl was half-way asleep.

_There's a legend that tells_

_That of a gypsy girl_

_Who foolishly fell in love_

_With a man who did not love her back_

_She went to the moon_

_And she asked for help_

"_Oh, Crystal Silver Moon,_

_Will you, would you, help me?" _

_The moon agreed to grant her wish,_

"_Your loved one you will have,_

_But in return I want_

_Your first born son." _

Aimee smiled. If Adelaide was to sing anything, it would be a song-story. It was a nice lullaby, she could feel her eyes beginning to close.

_The gypsy girl agreed, _

_She knew she'd love him little_

_For she didn't want to be alone, _

_And she swore she would._

_The moon wants to be a mother_

_You think that it'll make a woman_

_Out of you, but you're wrong_

_It won't happen, it won't._

Aimee closed her eyes. She listened to the rest of the lullaby and was about to drift off to sleep when-

"Students, as you have noticed, this is, in fact, a Death Eater Drill," Madame Maxime's voice boomed at them, she was standing nearby, addressing the students. "Blah, blah blah. Blah blah?" Aimee tuned out the rest of her words and looked away, too tired to pay attention or even make an effort at trying to understanding at whatever she was saying without her Translator.

"Charlie, come on, we're going back up," Aimee told him, shaking her shoulder to wake him up. He sat up, rubbing his eye, and gave a soft moan of not wanting to get up.

"God, I hate them."

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"Ready for the tryouts, Aimee?" Charlie asked as he sat next to her, grinning as he grabbed a grape from her plate and popping it into his mouth.

"Hey, that's _my_ grape!" Aimee said indignantly, gazing angrily at Charlie, who was chewing her grape happily as he served himself some eggs.

"It'sh man now!" Charlie said through a mouthful of grape. He started eating eggs as fast as he could. It was two days after the Death Eater Drill, and Aimee was sure the other one would be today or tomorrow, and tryouts for the Quidditch Team were today!

Aimee dropped her fork as she remembered. "Stop making me nervous!" She snapped.

"Touchy today, aren't we?" Charlie asked, smirking at her as he opened his mouth to eat his eggs, but Aimee hit his wrist angrily and the scrambled eggs tumbled down form the fork he had been holding and ended up in his lap.

"Hey! I'm just telling you it's tryouts today!" Charlie said indignantly, seizing a napkin a cleaning up the pieces of egg in his lap, then throwing the napkin at Aimee, who screeched and ducked, but it still landed on her head. She shook it off a grabbed a grape from her plate, prepared to launch it Charlie, who had just taken another napkin to shield himself, when Adelaide walked by and seized the grape from Aimee's hand, then sitting down next to her, opening a book as she said;

"Charlie, I already know you like to play with your food, but you don't have make a monkey out of Aimee like yourself."

Aimee started laughing at Charlie's indignant face, but stopped abruptly as she took in Adelaide's words. "Hey! Are you saying I'm some kind of monkey?" She accused, watching Adelaide zealously as she popped the stolen grape into her mouth. Adelaide's gaze didn't veer from the book, much less blink as she replied; "Yes."

Aimee gaped at her. "But- but you're supposed to deny it and put up a fight!" she spluttered at her as Charlie sniggered behind her.

"No. I'm not like you. That means Charlie, too." She responded flatly, eating a bit of pancake, still reading her book. Charlie stopped sniggering and he, too, blinked in time with Aimee.

"What do you _mean_ 'not like you'?" Charlie asked suspiciously as Aimee tried to work out what Adelaide had meant.

"You'll figure it out soon enough." Adelaide replied shortly, then fell quiet and completely ignored them all breakfast long, buried in her book.

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The rest of the day seemed to go excruciatingly slow for Aimee, every second seemed an hour, every minute seemed like days, and every hour seemed a year.

Aimee dragged herself to class, dreading yet yearning for the tryouts to start. She had been practicing all summer, and even done a few rounds at school, and even if Charlie and Adelaide assured her she was good, Aimee wasn't sure.

What if she didn't make the team?

Well, then, all that would happen was that she wouldn't make the team, Aimee told herself. It would be her last year to play on the Quidditch team, though, which made her even more determined than ever to get on the team.

Aimee had barely paid attention to all her classes, much less take down any notes or do what she was asked in class. She forgot to write whatever homework she had and she was tripping even more than usual. And all she did in class was wring her hands nervously nd look at her watch every 10 seconds.

Time _did_ seem to go slower than usual…

After the fifth time she landed on the floor after having tripped over an invisible rock, things were getting pretty annoying as she dusted herself for what felt like the 20th time.

When the morning finally passed, and school ended, she still had to wait another 2 hours for tryouts to actually start. Her homework was done really crummy and she spaced out more than usual. Not until Benji let off the plastic bird in her face did she actually pay attention to her surroundings.

And now, clutching her Lightning 2006 (a new brand of broomsticks, almost as fast as the Firebolt) waiting in line with students from third to seventh year, she was nearly having a heart attack. The only other seventh year trying out was Jacques. There was only one third year girl and three sixth years, and almost every boy of the fifth and fourth years, plus a couple of girls.

The only people that were left from last year's Quidditch team were Charlie, Adelaide, and a sixth year boy. Charlie was beater, Adelaide a chaser, and the sixth year, a huge, burly, aggressive looking boy with dark skin and a microphone-shaped hairdo, was the second beater.

Which left exactly two spaces for Aimee in the Chaser section, and four spaces left in total. Aimee was determined to get on the team, whether it meant bribing the captain or blackmailing him.

She knew how to do both. As dirty as her thoughts sounded like, even in her own head.

Aimee clutched her broom tighter and took a deep breath as she listened to Charlie drone on and on about how they were going to have the tryouts.

Charlie finished his rather boring speech and tryouts began. It seemed that Charlie was trying to make the wait even more painfully long, making the tryouts for chaser at the very last. Aimee was absolutely sure that he had sent an evil grin her way before turning around for the tryouts for keeper.

There were a few average students trying out, but there seemed to be a tie between two fifth years and fourth year.

After the keeper tryouts were the seeker tryouts. Most were fourth and fifth years, but there was this one little third year girl who, after the tryouts, easily fitted the definition of Seeker; she was perfect for it, apart from light, she was extremely good and beat all the rest of the boys to the snitch, all three times. Aimee was sure she'd make the team.

Finally, the chaser tryouts were held. Aimee clutched her broom even tighter, she was supposed to demonstrate she could catch the Quaffle, throw it, and fly around as fast as possible with the Quaffle in her hands.

It seemed that most of the people trying out wanted to go for one of the two chaser positions. There were about 5 or 6 fourth years, quite a crowd of fifth year boys, about 3 or 4 sixth years, Jacques, and Aimee.

She felt like fainting now. A few who had tried out for keeper or seeker were trying out again for chaser, making it a quite big number.

"Good luck, Aimee." Charlie said behind her. Aimee could only nod, she didn't think she could say anything without losing her lunch.

Try outs began, and finally it was Aimee's turn. She and Jacques were together in the same group, along with most of the sixth years and a few fifth years. They played, Aimee tried her best, and after 30 minutes of hard core plays, the tryouts ended.

It was getting dark now, and Charlie stood on one of the benches so everyone could see him, and cleared his throat. The excited chatter ended and they all looked up at him, wanting the results.

"You all did a good job. Only four people out of the 21 that tried out today will get places in the team, though… Well, thanks for trying out, anyway, though. Uh, we're announcing the results tomorrow evening." He added, checking his notebook, lifting a page to see something he had written. "Yeah, that's about it. Good night, guys."

"_Excuse_ me? _Guys_?" The little third year girl piped up, hands on her hips as she raised an eyebrow. She bore the expression of Queen of the world

Charlie gave her a dirty look before responding, "_And _girls."

The girl smiled sweetly at him and her whole 'Ice Queen' attitude changed into cute and sweet as she said; "Thank you."

Charlie hopped off the bench and Aimee could see him trying hard not to roll his eyes.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 Later that night…

Charlie is evil. The whole tryouts thing was already extremely rivaled, but he won't tell me anything! Not even ONE little hint if there's even a chance, a teensy weensy chance, that I made the team. 

NOTHING. Nada. Rien. 

Yeah, 'nothing' in Spanish and French is really going to help me now. Note the sarcasm in my voice. 

Anyway, I am absolutely certain that the Paintball Drill (I named it that way. So sue me.) is going to be tomorrow. Good thing, since I have Potions, two periods, smack in the middle of the day. And I also have Muggle studies and boring, whatever subjects. 

Then I can bribe Sirius into hitting Charlie with a paintball in the face if he doesn't let me in the team!

See what a genius I am? Of course I am, silly little book. 

… Ok. 

Weird. I am talking to a BOOK. I think I'll go to sleep now. Must think up some ideas to bribe/ blackmail Charlie. 

Bribe:

Give him chocolate.

Be his slave for a day.

Be REALLY nice to him. Steal Benji's plastic bird and let him set it upon Jean-Pierre.

Seduce him… Ok, he's my friend and all, but… yeah. Let me cross that out. 

… Um, well, I'll think up something.

Blackmail

He makes a girly giggle/laugh when you poke him on the side.

He's really sensible to tickling.

He makes funny, snuffling noises when he's asleep. And the blanket thing. Him dragging it around all the time. Even though it's absolutely adorable, but still. 

He accidentally lost the top part of my bikini. Though I'd be blackmailing MYSELF if I ever let that piece of information out. 

Well, good night. I can't think of anything else and it's pretty late. I think that the bribe list is pretty lame. I'll be really nice to him tomorrow, though. THAT should earn me a few points. 

Though the blackmail list is also lame. Those are things nobody would care about. The guys wouldn't give a shit, and the girls would swoon all over him. And I'm not letting the Bikini Incident get out to the open. 

As if I was _that_ dumb. 

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Aimee was sitting in her Muggle Studies Class, bored out of her mind, and dreading her next class- Potions. Yes, it was definitely better than Snape at Hogwarts, but she still couldn't help but mess up every single potion she made. It seemed that Charlie and Benji could get along just fine, but Adelaide and Aimee never got it right.

Benji, next to her, was taking notes furiously, copying down whatever the teacher was saying about how a TV worked. Aimee's head was resting on her hand, her elbow against the table, dangerously close to the edge, and her eyes were closing, and she blinked to wake herself up.

"God, I wish the drill would be now." Aimee murmured to Benji, who chuckled but didn't look up.

"Well, maybe it'll be tom-"

_BRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!_

The class jumped. Aimee's elbow went of the desk and her chin slammed painfully against the table, there was a crash, and Aimee got up trying to see what happened.

Jacques had been sleeping and he had fallen off his chair.

"How'd you- how'd you do that?" Benji spluttered, staring at Aimee with wide eyes. Aimee scratched her head.

"Telepathy?" She guessed lamely, rubbing her sore chin with her free hand, wishing she hadn't put her elbow so close to the edge.

"WOOHOO! No Potions today!" Gaelle whooped, putting a fist in the air. "No potions, no potions, no po-" She stopped short when she saw Madame Bradascio giving her a death glare, hands on her hips. Gaelle lowered her hand guiltily and stammered, "Um, I meant, too bad."

"Now. All of you will get out of the school, and try not to get hit. If you do…" Madame Bradascio's voice trailed and she smiled evilly. Aimee could almost see the red horns and red tail appearing on her. "Detention." She finished.

"Yes, Madame Bradascio." The class chorused.

"Good." She said, then walked out of the classroom, leading them out.

Aimee emerged into the hallway arguing with Benji on how she managed to make the bell go on at that precise moment, noting that doors were opening and students were pouring out, talking excitedly.

The third year girl who had been at the Seeker tryouts was passing by, saying to her friend smugly, "Oh, I just knew the Drill was going to be today, Sarah, I just knew it!"

"Damn little suck up," Charlie muttered behind her.

Aimee bit her lip as not to burst out laughing.

"So," Adelaide said as she caught up with them and the four of them walked together, following the crowd, "Any special escape plans?" She asked them.

"Yeah," Charlie responded, winking, "Don't get hit."

"Nice," Adelaide answered, rolling her eyes. "I meant if you knew any secret passages to get out and not get hit."

"Secret passages? Me? 'course not. What makes you say that?" Charlie said quickly, a blatant lie in his voice. He looked out the window and whistled, daring them to contradict him and say he was lying.

Aimee watched the conversation between the two, amused, but Benji answered before Adelaide could say anything else, "Sure. The closest one is through that door over there," Benji pointed to a door that was looked extremely old and that didn't even seem to be there, since it faded color merged with the gray rock wall, "And it goes to an underground passage. It's a quite known shortcut to the Transfiguration and Charms classrooms."

Sure enough, a few students were slipping in, nodding to their comrades to slip in with them. A blond girl and a tall boy with spiky blond hair entered, and they hurried after them.

"Come on," Benji said as they neared it, and the four of them left the line they had been following, and opened the door, it creaked noisily, but they managed to get in unnoticed.

They realized too late that the two people who had slipped in juts before them had been actually Marianna and Jean-Pierre, who both turned and stared at them. There was an awkward silence.

The passage was dark and had a few cobwebs hanging from the ceiling, but sure enough, the dusty floor showed shoe-prints walking to the direction in front of them, probably used by quite a few students. Marianna had been squealing as a spiderweb stuck to her perfectly straight blond hair, but she stopped and stared at them as the door closed with a loud creak.

"Get out." Jean-Pierre finally growled. Charlie scoffed and adopted a haughty demeanor.

"No."

"He said out." Marianna said coldly, crossing her arms over her chest. Aimee could see her makeup even in the darkness, with blue-green eyeliner to accentuate her light blue eyes, and rosy lipgloss.

"No," Benji repeated, "We weren't following you, we discovered this passage a few years ago. If you want to stay and fight, fine, but they're going to get us and smear us with paint. And," he added to Marianna, who was currently glaring daggers at Aimee, "It doesn't come off for a week. I'd like to see you with purple hair."

Marianna looked back at Benji, as if thinking over the pros and cons of all of them being smeared in paint. "_Cheri_, come on, we're going." She finally said, seizing Jean-Pierre's hand and leading him away. "I don't like the looks of this ugly cave thing." She said snobbily, and Aimee almost burst out laughing at how she referred to the passage. _Ugly cave thing_. Just _how_ bimbo _was_ this girl?

Aimee watched them go, then Charlie started after them after a few seconds. "Keep a distance between us." He muttered, looking ready to kill. Aimee decided to keep a distance from him and walked at the back, behind Adelaide.

"Do you think they'll find us here?" Aimee asked as she dodged a cobweb and made a disgusted face at it. Her voice echoed eerily around the walls. There was a drip of water coming from somewhere, and it was getting steadily annoying.

"Maybe," Charlie answered from the front, "Some teachers may know about it and tell whoever is supposed to find us about it."

"Nice to know we're safe, then," Aimee murmured sarcastically. She looked up at the dirty ceiling, there were even a few holes in it and a few boarded up parts. It was getting steadily darker, and Aimee was finding it hard to see Adelaide in the dark.

"JEAN-PIERRE! Oh, my God, where the hell are you?" Marianna's panicked shriek made Aimee jump, it seemed very near. Charlie stopped short, there was a grunt and a muffled thud as Benji bumped heavily into him, followed by an "Ow!" of Adelaide as she, too, smashed against Benji, and then-

"Oomph!" Aimee grunted as she crashed hard into Adelaide, having accelerated when she had heard Marianna's yell and Charlie having stopped. She bounced backwards, coughing as she had gotten a face-full of Adelaide's curly hair in her face. There was a muffled thud out front and a "Whoa!" signaling Charlie had fallen forward onto his knees, and a "Hey!" as Benji tripped over his legs and fell over Charlie, then a short, screechy shriek from Adelaide as Benji seized whatever was the nearest to regain his balance and ended up taking Adelaide's arm and bringing her down with him on top of Charlie.

"Get off me!" Charlie gasped from under the pile of bodies.

"Addie, your elbow is in my stomach!" Benji cried out in pain as Adelaide shifted and said a guilty; "Sorry!"

They all looked up at Aimee angrily, who was standing rather unharmed and alone in the small passageway. She could barely see their expectant faces in the darkness.

"AIMEE!" Their three voices rang eerily at her.

"Um, sorry?" She tried awkwardly.

"Yeah, yeah, just get off me, Benji, your knee is on my… uh, reproductive parts," Charlie groaned, stealing a quick glance at Adelaide and Aimee uncertainly.

"Real subtle, Char-WHOA! BENJI!" Adelaide's voice rose from annoyed to a shriek, as Benji yelled; "EW!" and jumped off Charlie as he had gotten an electric shock.

Aimee stepped back from Benji, hoping he didn't crash into her, just as she bumped against someone behind her, as that someone asked uncertainly; "Jean-Pierre? Is that you?"

Aimee shrieked in surprise and rushed forward, crashed into Benji, who had been getting up, and they both toppled down onto Adelaide, who was about to get up, and they all tumbled rather painfully on Charlie, who groaned audibly as three heavy objects fell on him.

"What the-? What are you all doing on the floor? God, you're disgusting, some kind of four-way orgy, or something? Oh, _gross_!" Marianna said in a disgusted voice, looking down at the pile of bodies. Aimee felt her cheeks grow heated at Marianna's slang word, she came to realize that it was her who was at the very top, enabling the poor, moaning Charlie to move at the very bottom.

"Get off me… just get _off_…" Charlie pleaded, shifting under the weight. Aimee put a hand on what she _hoped _was Benji's shoulder and heaved herself up. Next, Benji scrambled up as fast as he could and helped Adelaide up. He ignored Charlie and faced Marianna, drawing himself up to full height ( Aimee suddenly noticed that Benjamin had grown quite a lot during the summer, and instead of being a centimeters shorter than her, he was actually a good two inches taller than her now.) with what was left of his dignity.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were with Smith?" Benji immediately demanded haughtily, glaring angrily at Marianna, who was standing alone in front of them and looking quite lost by now.

"I, um, well, Jean-Pierre and I got kinda, well… separated," Marianna said pathetically, looking away.

"You got lost?" Charlie groaned as he got up, his hands searching the wall for support.

"Not '_lost_', just separated!" Marianna said angrily, biting her lip. She fumbled nervously with the fabric of her uniform dark blue skirt, which, Aimee noted, was quite short.

"You got lost," Benji stated flatly, staring at her deadpan and raising his eyebrows.

"Well, yeah," she admitted quietly and hung her head as if trying to look helpless and in need of a Prince Charming to save her.

Aimee resisted the temptation to roll her eyes at Marianna and her simpery ways, then realized that even in the dark it didn't matter, and this was Marianna they were talking about, the girl which Aimee couldn't even care about. So she went ahead and rolled her eyes, a bit too exaggeratedly. She added a long-suffering sigh to the gesture. Marianna's eyes turned on her and she gave Aimee a hateful, damn-bitch look.

"I was wondering…" Marianna added suddenly, her eyes fixing on Benji and giving him a hurt-puppy look, "If I could come with you." She cocked her head to the side in perfect practice of looking adorable and sad, but then added hastily, "You know, until I find Jean-Pierre, I mean. It's not like I can stay _here_, you know." Her voice ended in a pathetically simpering note as she waved her hand at the dirty, grubby walls, making Aimee want to cut open her guts and leave her here to die.

That girl sure knew how to manipulate boys, but surely it couldn't work on Charlie and Benjamin, for God's sake, her boyfriend was their sworn enemy…

"Well…" Charlie started slowly, flinching visibly as he took a step forward and he stopped short and leaning his back against the wall, "You _could_ come with us…"

Aimee almost fainted right then and there as Adelaide cried out a disbelieving; "_What_? You're letting her come with us?"

"It's not like we can just leave her here. This passage is like an underground, dark maze." Charlie explained, a certain high-pitched note to his voice, but Benji cut him off as he looked at Marianna straight in the eye;

"But you won't talk, you won't complain, you won't speak a single word of this to anyone, and you won't be annoying, ok?" He finished angrily in one breath.

Marianna's face broke into a well-practiced cute smile as she said a bright; "Okay!"

Aimee resisted the urge to slap her hand against her forehead in frustration as Adelaide huffed angrily to the front muttering she wasn't going to walk next to Marianna.

Then, the four became five, and Aimee found herself swearing under her breath as she trekked angrily behind Marianna, who was chatting animatedly with a very horrified looking Benji, who seemed to be deciding whether to either to shut his mouth and not talk to her at all, or snap at her to shut up and receive a tantrum.

Adelaide was sporting a nasty twitch in her left eye as she listened to Marianna shamelessly flirt with her best friend, and she seemed to be deciding whether she'd like to punch Marianna's face inside out or start banging her head against the musty walls in apparent frustration.

Charlie on the other hand, was walking rather oddly, widening his steps and squaring his legs widely. Aimee decided she did _not_ want to wonder why.

Aimee suddenly realized that Charlie at the front had stopped, and she obediently followed his example, not wanting to even touch Marianna.

"We're here," Charlie announced as he looked up at the ceiling, and Aimee did the same too, just to see a metal ladder leading up to a trapdoor, which stood a bit more than 2 meters above their heads, "It leads straight into the Charms classroom's extra closet."

He carefully started up the stairs, going slowly and wincing noticeably as his foot missed a step and he came very near of falling right into a metal bar his foot had slipped on. Adelaide followed, staying a long distance away from him in case he fell on her. Next was Benji, who didn't seem to care that Adelaide was wearing her uniform skirt or even take notice, for he did seem desperate to get away from Marianna, who was now looking positively excited to get finally out of the dark, musty place they were in.

Benji climbed fast and safely, pausing briefly to pass Adelaide quickly slowly and carefully so she wouldn't fall with him climbing right next to her.

Adelaide said an angry; "Hey!" and tried to catch up to him, but Benji was fast and sure and he quickly caught up with Charlie. Adelaide grumbled angrily and sent a glare down to Marianna as if daring her to come up.

Marianna, on the other hand, waited patiently for Adelaide to be a long way off, annoying Aimee to an extreme point when she felt like throwing a tantrum.

Charlie finally reached the trapdoor and opened it uncertainly, one hand on the topmost bar and the other on the handle of the trapdoor.

It opened noiselessly and his head came up hesitantly as he peeked at the floor above.

The trapdoor slammed quickly and Charlie began to descend the steps fervently, hissing; "Back up, back up, _back up_!" He kept going down to the point where he almost ran over Benji, who, although fast going up, seemed slow at descending.

"What? Are they there?" Benji demanded in a panicky voice, looking up fearfully.

"Yes, yes, I saw some adults there, and they weren't teachers, and they saw me!" Charlie answered hurriedly, nodding to Adelaide to go back down.

The trapdoor opened.

"I see you!" A man's voice called as his head poked in. Light streamed into the closed chamber and Aimee panicked. Charlie leaped the last meter and landed on the floor heavily, panting as he yelled to the whole crowd in general; "Run!"

Marianna gave an ear drum shattering, high-pitched, panicked shriek and she took off running, Aimee on her heels. She heard the distinct _SPLAT_ of a thick liquid splattering the floor and an anguished shriek from Adelaide.

One down, four to go.

Aimee didn't even know where she was running, but she followed Marianna blindly through the passages of the dark corridor, until finally, about a minute or two of hardcore running, the two girls stopped to pant. Marianna doubled over, hands on her knees, as she panted noisily and Aimee leaned against the wall.

She was suddenly very aware that in that dark corridor there was only her and Marianna, completely alone now. Aimee felt like screaming her head off and making a big fuss.

"D'you… d'you think they'll find us?" Marianna asked worriedly, her perfect, angelic composure ruined by her red, splotchy cheeks and alert, rather paranoid-looking face.

"I don't know," Aimee answered truthfully, checking for any signs of the living on the corner. Nothing. "I think we're safe." She supposed finally, and nodded for Marianna to follow her.

They went through a few passages, but after five minutes of trying to decide which way to go at an unfortunate fork, Aimee deducted that they were, indeed, very, very, lost.

**A/N: The song Adelaide sang as a lullaby to Gabrielle is my own creation, a bit based on a real song, but that one is in another language. **

**So I suppose it doesn't count as a song-fic if I wrote the song?**

**Anyway, I ain't updating until I get 7 reviews or more! **


	18. The Death Eater Drill: Part 3

Aimee looked around, taking in her surroundings; same gray rock wall with spiderwebs on it, same boarded up ceiling, same maze-like feeling.

They were indeed very, very lost. Aimee took a wavering, hesitant step forward.

"I think we're lost." She said quietly. Marianna looked up and uncrossed her arms.

"We aren't…_lost_, we just don't know where we are," Marianna said with superiority, examining her perfect nails. Aimee's hand clenched into a fist. This girl's pride was way too much.

"That's the exact definition of 'lost'," Aimee said through gritted teeth. _Why _did she have to get stuck with the most annoying little snot in the whole school? _Why_?

"Fine. Whatever. Let's call for help, then," She responded, and started cupping her hands around her mouth to shout when Aimee seized her wrists.

"Are you _crazy_? In a place like this? One of your shrieks and the ceiling falls down on us!" Aimee hissed. How dumb was Marianna, anyway?

There was a sudden movement in the corridor's darkness and both girls froze, Marianna unleashed herself from Aimee and seized her arm in a death grip. Aimee saw her perfectly manicured nails dig into her skin.

"I've got you," A man's voice said softly. He came out of the shadows, a man in a dark red robe with a little insignia with the letters AF on it.

"No! I can't get caught! I don't want to be covered in paint!" Marianna squealed indignantly, letting go of Aimee, and shoving her out of the way, making her stumble backwards. She strode up to the man and drew herself up to his height, though failing by at least 15 cm.

"I'll pay you, and you'll let me go. Potter here can be your damn victim!" She said firmly, crossing her arms and glaring at the man. He laughed.

"I was paid to capture you, you know. You have no option," he paused thoughtfully, "But I won't be too cruel, and I won't smear too much paint on you." He took out his wand and started readying himself to fire at them, "You can turn your backs to me so your pretty little faces won't get dirty," He chuckled at his own joke. Marianna looked up at him thoughtfully.

"We _are_ supposed to be able to defend ourselves, right?" She asked after a moment's pause, cocking her head to the side innocently. Aimee started turning around so the paint wouldn't get her on the face, but stopped. What was Marianna doing _now_? It's not like she could disarm the man before he fired, anyway.

"Well, yeah," The man answered, standing back and taking aim.

"Oh. Ok."

"_Pintur_-"

BAM!

Aimee jumped half a meter in the air in surprise as Marianna punched the man square in the jaw angrily, as his wand exploded with the unfinished spell and made a black hole in the wall. Marianna shrieked and jumped backward, clutching her right hand.

Aimee's blood ran cold. The unfinished spell had done damage to Marianna's hand! Aimee rushed forward, her mind reeling through all the healing spells she had learned, when Marianna gave an angry cry at the man on the floor.

"_YOU BROKE MY NAIL_! WHAT THE HELL IS _WRONG_ WITH YOU?"

Aimee stopped short and stared. Then she doubled over, fell to the floor, and started laughing her head off.

"What the-?" the man started to stutter, looking up at the spastic girl with wide, incredulous eyes as if he could not believe what she had done, one hand posed on the floor to keep his balance, the other over the exact spot where Marianna had punched him.

Marianna seized the man from the front of his robes, her eyes flashing frighteningly, and pulled his face close to hers.

"Know what that means, baby? Means you must _die_," she said in a deadly quiet voice. Her eyes narrowed and she shook the man by the neck of his robes wildly.

The man seemed to be at total loss of words and his mouth opened and closed without noise, and Aimee gave another burst of laughter (which Marianna promptly ignored) as she noted the resemblance to a fish.

A fat fish.

"Or," Marianna continued, giving him one last shake, "I could let you live, so you run away and leave me alone. GOT IT?" She threw the man away from herself disgustedly.

"Take a shower, will you, darling? You're all icky and sweaty. EW." She flipped her hair back as she walked over to Aimee, grabbed her arm, and dragged her away with a certain superiority to her walk.

"Come on, Potter, we need to get out of here so I can find a decent manicurist. Damn careless gits who think they can just go _ruining _my nails. Oh, my _God_."

Aimee found herself speechless as she was dragged away, she looked back at the man over her shoulder and found him still on the floor, still imitating a fish.

* * *

"I'm sure we went left," Marianna said uncertainly, looking and sounding far from sure. She bit her lip and twirled a lock of blond hair in her finger nervously. She looked at her right hand, examining closely the middle finger, the one with the broken nail.

"No, we came from the right. We ran right past it when we were running away from the first time they discovered us, don't you remember?" Aimee argued, trying to reason with Marianna. She rubbed her arm, where Marianna's precious nails had completely perforated her skin about 15 minutes before, when they had almost been covered in paint.

"We came from the left!" Marianna said stubbornly. She crossed her arms and looked at Aimee as if to say she wasn't going anywhere until she got her way.

Aimee was really regretting getting stuck with Marianna now… Even if she had punched a guy perfectly well and had gotten away with it, thus saving Aimee the trouble of having to go to Detention for a week.

"Right," Aimee repeated, getting even more frustrated by the second.

"Left," Marianna said, her voice getting higher and higher. She started walking to the left decidedly, "I don't _care_ if you're coming, but _I _am going left."

Aimee gaped at her, fists at her sides, the ran to catch up with her and grabbed her arm, pulling her the other way, "You're going the wrong way, bimbo!"

"No!" Marianna squealed, wrenching her arm out of Aimee's grasp forcefully, "Let me go! I'm going through here!" She yelled loudly, and started marching towards the left fork. Aimee grabbed her arm again.

There was a few seconds in which the two girls bickered and fought, Aimee trying to tell her that was the wrong way, and Marianna, trying in vain to escape from her grasp. Their shouts echoed around the walls, there was a rumbling sound, but only Aimee looked up, suddenly realizing. A bit of dust fell form the ceiling and settled on the floor slowly.

Marianna let out a final "Let me _go_, Potter!" squeal and shoved herself away from Aimee's loose grasp. She stopped abruptly as she noticed Aimee staring at the ceiling wide-eyed.

The rumbling grew louder.

"Don't move," Aimee whispered, watching a bit more dust fall down gently. There was a quiet crash, coming from the ceiling, to her right, followed by an identical one that seemed nearer, and another and another. It suddenly stopped right above their heads.

The ceiling was going to fall down on them! Aimee pointed her wand at the ceiling, ready for the wooden boards to collapse and cast a protective charm over themselves.

The rumbling grew into a loud crash and before any of the girls could say anything, the _floor_ below them collapsed and the two girls were sent screaming down.

"WE'RE GOING TO-" Aimee started to scream, but the impact on the water silenced both their ear-splitting shrieks and ended with a great splash.

The room was silent once again except from the eerie echoes of the snapping of the wooden boards, creating a hole that led Aimee and Marianna to their doom.

Their doom, actually, was only waist-deep. But anyway.

It took Aimee a few seconds to realize this. She pushed her feet against the floor, and surfaced quickly, gasping for breath and eyes wide with shock.

Aimee slapped her hand against her face to clear the water away from her eyes. She took a deep breath and turned around.

No Marianna.

A sudden strange feeling filled her stomach. She turned around completely and started going around in circles, looking wildly for any sign oh her blond hair.

No Marianna.

She started panicking now. What if she had fallen somewhere else? Maybe she was still up there? Aimee's head snapped to the ceiling, she realized with horror they had fallen at least two meters down, and she remembered perfectly that while being aireborn Marianna had definitely been the one clutching her arm, painfully stabbing her with only four nails, injuring her other arm. Now she had two holey arms. With lots of holes in them.

But where was she now?

Something grabbed her ankle and Aimee was forced down, screaming.

Another splash.

Aimee emerged from the water, gasping. Marianna, being the one who had grabbed her, surfaced, gulping in large amounts of air.

"You- you…" Marianna started, but stopped, gasped for air, and continued, "You made us fall here! It's all _your_ fault!" She looked ready to pounce on Aimee and drown her.

"_What_?" Aimee yelped, taken aback, "_You_ were the one screaming!" she accused, edging away from Marianna, who, in Aimee's opinion, was being too dramatic.

"Well, SO? I got stuck with _you_ here! Why did I have to get stuck with YOU?" Marianna spat angrily, using her hand to clear her before-perfect-now-weirdly-shaped wet hair from her face. Aimee scoffed.

"As if I wanted to get stuck with _you_!" She snapped. Marianna pursed her lips.

"Well, _fine_! Just leave me alone!"

"FINE! I WILL!" Aimee shouted. This girl was really getting on her nerves. She angrily marched (albeit slowly because the water slowed her steps) towards one end, while Marianna gave an exasperated "ARGH!" and splashed sluggishly towards the other end.

The splashing stopped. Aimee realized she was facing a quite solid wall. She took a quick peek over her shoulder and realized Marianna was standing proudly on the other side of the small chamber they had fallen into, facing the wall and not quite moving, though she gave an uneasy glance at Aimee, noticed her looking too, and her head snapped back to the wall.

Aimee gave an annoyed "_Hmmph_!" and turned harshly towards the wall, crossing her arms over her chest. That's when she realized. She was cold. She hugged herself, looking around but refusing to look back at the girl across the room, uncertain of how they were going to get out of there without getting caught by one of the men hunting them.

The others had gotten probably gotten paintballed, and the man Marianna had punched had probably run off. So, in other words…

They were going to be here for a long time. A long, _long_ time.

By the time the _whole_ paintball drill was over, then found all the students and realized two were missing, _then_ actually _found_ them…

It would be _hours_ from now!

Aimee resisted the urge to start banging her head against the wall, stopped at mid-thought, and muttered; "What the hell. Got nothing to do anyway," under her breath ad started banging her head against the wall. Marianna turned to stare at her, then remembered their unsaid 'No talking, no looking' pact and turned back to the wall, the rhythmic thuds of Aimee's head colliding against the wall echoing around the room.

* * *

Fifteen minutes and 346 dead brain cells later, Aimee finally stopped, and she now regretted ever _touching_ the wall, because she was now getting a humongous migraine.

She bit her lip and stopped herself from moaning, refusing to let herself lose in the whatever 'be silent' game she and Marianna were playing. She rubbed her head, hoping the headache would go away, but it only grew stronger. She refused to make any noise to show any signs of weakness, the silent battle of endurance she and Marianna were playing was getting pretty annoying now. But she refused to let herself lose.

* * *

"My head hurts," Aimee repeated, leaning against the wall, her eyes closed. Marianna stayed quiet. She had been repeating the same phrase over again for the last 20 minutes, hoping to get Marianna to talk, even one little "SHUT THE HELL UP!" would do. But she hadn't said anything, nor even made a small noise, she just stood without speaking at all, staring at Aimee with irritated eyes.

"My head hurts."

Aimee sighed. She was so bored, and her headache had gone away at least 15 minutes ago. Still, she was enjoying herself by annoying Marianna, and giving herself a challenge to make her speak by the time they were finally rescued. She took a deep breath.

"My head hurts."

* * *

"ON TOP OF SPAH- GAAAAAAAAY-TEEEEEE!"

Aimee's voice echoed around the walls noisily as she warbled the notes as screechily as she could. Marianna scrunched up her eyes and flinched as she finished the last high note with a hiccup.

"ALL COVERED IN CHEEEEEEEEEEEEESE!"

She had finally taken up desperate measures and decided singing would do- but all resulted in Marianna giving her dirty looks and flinching when she hit any extremely high notes.

"I LOST MY POOR MEEEEEEEEEEET- BAAAAAAAAAAALL!"

Marianna flinched again but remained quiet. Aimee just knew she was going to be sick tomorrow with a headache and a sore throat. She had been going on screaming every single stupid song she had ever heard of, then inventing the words if she didn't know the right lyrics. So far she had sung _Mary Had a Little lamb, London Bridge, Barney the Purple Dinosaur, I'm a Little Teapot_, and the _Bob Sponge Squarepants_ theme song.

"WHEN SOMEBOOOOOOODYYYYYYYYYYYY…"

Marianna seemed to know that the coming word was to be yelled at the top of Aimee's lungs and she dove into the water for the 11th time as Aimee took a deep breath and screeched in the most horrible, gargly voice she could ever manage:

"SNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE- DAM DUM- EEEEEEEEEZED!" She imitated drums like those cheesy songs they sang in children's movies, then ended her reverie with a mighty sneeze, making it as loud as possible. She knew Marianna couldn't escape the noise even under the water.

Marianna surfaced and gave a loud gasp of air, giving Aimee a disbelieving look. Aimee bowed exaggeratedly.

"Thank you! Thank you! You're _all_ such a good public!" Aimee said loudly, and once again leaned against the wall to begin the next song.

"Coming up next is '_Barbie Girl'_… And it's a _special_ version!" Aimee yelled delightedly. Marianna slapped her hand against her forehead and groaned, sinking into the water once again until it covered her ears but reached her eyes, which floated above the water eerily, glaring at Aimee, who flashed her a sweet smile before taking a deep breath.

"I'M AN UGLY GIRL! MY FACE MAKES YOU HUUU-UUU-UURL!"

Marianna slunk under the water until it covered her head completely.

"INSTEAD OF HAVIN' IT! I SHOULD BAAAAAAAAAAG IT!"

A few bubbled came up to the surface over the spot where Marianna had disappeared. Aimee grinned and continued.

"UNHAPPY ALL THE TIME! I'VE WANTED FACIAL HAAAA-AAAAA-AAAAIIIR!"

Three more bubbles. Aimee knew Marianna would run out of air _sometime_.

"I'M A RELAAAAAAAAAY-TIOOON TO FRANKESTEIN'S CREEEAAAAAATIOON!"

Aimee took deep breath to imitate Ken's voice just as Marianna came up and breathed loudly in half-hopes of blocking Aimee's beautiful voice out. _Now_ Aimee was entertaining herself!

* * *

There was a loud splash as Aimee took a great leap and landed in the water in a half-attempted belly-flop. Marianna groaned once again and rubbed her temples as the water splashed over her.

Aimee surfaced, she was now entertaining herself by diving the most stupid and most spectacular dives that occurred to her wonderful, creative mind. She gurgled the water as she came up, and then shot the water up like a fountain, trying to get it to reach Marianna.

She grinned as she thought of something else. Aimee dove once again in the water and put her stretched-out hand on her back, sticking her mouth out as she hummed the Jaws theme loudly.

"Da-dum-da-dum-da-dum DA DUM DA DUM DADDUM DADDUM DA DUM DA! DUM!" She shrieked as she swam rapidly towards MArianna, who now KNEW Aimee was the weirdest person on Earth. Marianna jumped out of the way as Aimee jumped at the wall and started roaring at the top of her lungs.

Marianna slapped her forehead with her hand and sploshed away from the little alien, who was now growling at the wall and pretending to bite it.

* * *

"…So, anyway, after I practically fell asleep in Muggle Studies, the alarm rang and well, you know the rest," Aimee waved her hand lazily at Marianna, who was leaning against the opposite wall, ignoring Aimee rant on and on about her day. Aimee paid no heed that her audience was not in the least listening to her.

"What time is it, anyway?" Aimee asked, looking at her watch, her rolled up sleeves pushed up to her elbows. She was tired of being wet, her skirt stuck uncomfortably against her legs, and her hair was going to need a major shampoo rinsing to get all the dirty water out of her hair.

Her watch read _4.12_, three hours after the whole ordeal began. Yep, the paintball drill had started at around 1 o' clock, and they had been in the closed chamber for the best part of two hours.

Two very loud hours.

"Hmm. Quarter after four. Two hours, Nerushay. We've been here two hours. Can you believe it?" She flashed Marianna a sweet smile. Marianna scowled and positioned herself higher up the murky wall, her eyes flashing angrily at Aimee.

Aimee had tried to think of any spell that might get them out of here, but all she had done was light up the torch that was now hanging over her head, providing them with warm light. At least the water wasn't _that_ cold.

"I'm _so_ bored. I can't think of _anything_ to do!" Aimee complained in the whiniest tone she could muster. Marianna didn't move or say anything.

Aimee gasped suddenly, forgetting to exaggerate it as a thought occurred to her, "What if… what if they can't find us?" She asked, her voice quieting with realization, "It _should've_ been over by now, at least an _hour_ ago, and they _still_ haven't come," Aimee continued worriedly.

The new problem was now stressing her. Then they'd stay here for more than just a couple of hours… maybe even for _days_!

Marianna looked up at Aimee saying this and she paled in the dim light.

"And, well, I've been really noisy all the time, shouting and stuff, but they didn't even _hear_ us!" Aimee said, feeling panicked now. She slumped down the wall until the water reached her shoulders.

Marianna stiffened, but still didn't say anything.

"We could be here for _hours_… by the time they figure we're missing through all the students that might still be hiding!" She said, her voice cracking with realization. Suddenly the situation didn't seem so funny.

"You're right," Marianna said suddenly in a quiet voice. Aimee's foot slipped in the water and her hold loosened, plunging her head into the water.

She jumped back up, gasping for air and in surprise.

"Finally!" Aimee said, goggling at Marianna as if she had never seen her there before.

"Whatever. You've been really annoying, too!" Marianna said, resuming her perfect composture, failing since there was a bright green piece of weed perched on her blond wet hair.

"But seriously… The others might think we might've gotten out by now. Or that we might still be hidden. By the time they realize we're actually _lost_… that might not be until nightfall, and then convince the teachers we aren't there… We could be here until _tomorrow_," Aimee said. She bit her lip, feeling close to tears now.

Marianna didn't say anything, not because she didn't want to, but because she didn't know what to answer to the new problem.

"Alright," Aimee said, standing straighter, "We need to figure out how to get some attention so we can get out of here. We've tried making a lot of noise-"

"Hell lot of noise _that_ was," Marianna interrupted nastily.

"But maybe we could use magic to catch their attention…" Aimee's voice trailed off thoughtfully.

"We already tried getting ourselves out, but how the hell are we supposed to catch their attention? Any fireworks and this whole cave thing falls down on us!" Marianna scoffed, walking with difficulty though the water to reach the middle of the chamber and get a good look at the ceiling.

Aimee rolled her eyes at how Marianna just killed every single idea she had. "Well… some kind of spell that goes to find certain people, but it can't crash against anything or we die buried."

"So it's get trapped in here for_ever_, or get buried? Nice options," Marianna said sarcastically.

Aimee looked back at Marianna angrily, "I don't see _you_ thinking," she snapped angrily. Marianna rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Just find a way to get us out of here, Potter!"

Aimee thought for a while, ignoring Marianna complaining about the situation. She tried to think of all the lessons she'd had with M. Montgomery, and analize the situation carefully.

_Alright… I need to imagine this was a real Death Eater Attack… and that I was trapped someplace in which the walls and ceiling- AND FLOOR- are delicate… I need to send a sort of warning or sign to the right people so they can get us out…_Aimee scrunched up her face in concentration.

Then the answer came to her suddenly. A Patronus. Aimee grinned triumphantly.

"… and I still can't believe I got stuck with _you_ here, and still, when I don't talk, you start behaving like a _five-year-old_! Come on, _nobody_ is that-"

"A Patronus," Aimee whispered, cutting Marianna's monologue short. She stopped talking suddenly.

"A _Patronus_? Oh, my _God_, how _thick_ can you get? As if you even _knew_ how to-"

"_Expecto Patronum_!" Aimee yelled, pointing her wand to the ceiling overhead. Marianna gave a startled cry, tripped, and dissapeared into the water, spluttering out large quantities of it as she came back up.

Aimee watched smugly as a silvery dog erupted from her wand, its fluffy fur ruffling in a wind only for itself. It started running away as Marianna watched with an open mouth.

_Potter, 1; Nerushay, 0._

After 10 seconds of the two girls standing like this, Marianna staring up with an open mouth and Aimee with her arm still up in the air like the Freddy Mercury statue, the sudden light Aimee's patronus had given them disappeared down the corridor overhead.

"And now we wait," Aimee announced, and looked down to seat herself carefully so the water wouldn't gulp her head whole- but she noticed something peculiar.

"Nerushay? Um, wasn't the water- wasn't it… um, waist-deep?" She asked uncertainly, suddenly noting the water had somehow gotten higher- up to Aimee's stomach. Marianna paled as she, too, looked down and noticed the water level change.

"Um, no! 'Course not! What makes you think that, Potter?" Marianna asked, her voice rather high. She splashed the water with her hand, shrugging a bit too exaggeratedly.

"Yes, it was! It was waist-length!" Aimee cried, feeling good old panic settling in the pit of her stomach. Both girls looked at each other fearfully.

"I don't know how to swim," Marianna whispered, her hands shaking. Aimee took a step back with difficulty and shook her head.

"Oh, come _on_… You don't know how to _swim_? Why are you telling me _now_?" She asked, looking down at the water. Before it actually seemed fun that they could be able to swim, but now… If the water went over their heads, Marianna would drown and they'd have no light, since the torch overhead would go out…

"Well, _sorry_!" Marianna spat angrily. Aimee rubbed her temples.

"Ok… so it isn't _that_ bad-"

Marianna scoffed and muttered; "Of _course_ not, Potter," sarcastically.

"In two hours the water had gone up about 10 or 15 cm, so in four hours it should reach our shoulders, and in six…" Her voice trailed away as she gestured where the water should be: eye level.

"So in six hours I better be rescued or I drown?" Marianna asked, hands on her hips and eyebrows raised.

"Unless it goes slower," Aimee shrugged, "_Or_ faster," she added. She looked up.

"But… if you could somehow keep yourself afloat until the water reaches the very top… we might be able to get out of here," She said thoughfully.

"Yeah, if it goes 5 cm an hour, we _might_ get out of here in a week," Marianna said sarcastically.

"Will you cut the sarcasm already? I'm trying to think here!" Aimee snapped, then looked back again at the ceiling.

"I don't know if the patronus will work," She said quietly, "Even if someone sees it, they won't know _where_ to look. And they won't know who sent it, either."

Marianna shifted uncomfortably, "So… What do we do?"

Aimee looked back at Marianna, "Hope we don't starve to death, I suppose."

"I meant magic."

Aimee sighted, "Yeah, I know. Know any floating spells? Or something that might spell out a message in the sky and trespass walls or something?"

Marianna shrugged.

Aimee had a sudden idea. "Well… When my brother was in the Triwizard Tournament-"

"Just so you know, I don't care about your damn famous brother, so don't go showing off," Marianna snapped. Aimee ignored her and kept talking.

"There was this task in which they had to go into a lake-"

"And I don't give a shit-"

"In which they had to get back a person from the bottom of the lake," Aimee finished.

"Oh. So?" Marianna asked, examining again her broken nail.

"Those people had to find someway to stay for more than an hour at the bottom of the lake."

Marianna nodded, interested. "And?"

"Well, maybe we could try that on you. The water goes up, you don't drown, we finally get out of here ourselves!" Aimee finished, grinning at her perfect idea. Marianna didn't seem very impressed.

"Do you know what spell or potion they used, then?" She asked, eyebrows raised. Aimee stopped grinning. She was right.

_Potter, 1; Nerushay, 1_. Damn. She was catching up.

"Well… no," She said sheepishly, "I think they used a potion, actually."

"And because we have _that_ specific potion in this damn _hellhole_, we can use it, you know," Marianna said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"I was just wondering out loud! And I don't see you thinking up any ideas, you know! At least I've done _something_!" Aimee snapped impatiently, stamping her foot with difficulty, which only resulting in splashing a few drops of water on her eyes.

"_Fine_," Marianna answered, crossing her arms.

"Look, we have to work together to get out of here, so whether you like it or not, you _are_ helping me get us out of here or you drown!" Aimee growled, crossing her arms, too.

"Ok, _fine_! I _don't_ know any floatation spells! Whatever!" Marianna yelled.

Aimee slunk back against the wall and sighted. It was going to be a long day. And a long, long, night.

And keeping score wasn't going to help, either.

**A/N: Eh. I decided to leave it there. I was actually going to make the patronus work and have somebody rescue them right in the middle of their bickering, but I decided that they're staying there a few more hours. It's so much fun writing Aimee and Marianna bickering!**


	19. The Death Eater Drill: Part 4

**A/N: I'm BACK! Betcha you didn't think so! Woot!**

**So, after a looong year, I've finally decided to update. Yay for me. Now, we were at the part in which Aimee and Marianna are stuck during the Drill. You could go read the last chapter if you've forgotten where we are. Or at least Aimee, is, anyway. **

Aimee gazed at the shoulder-length water worriedly. It had been actually two hours instead of four, and now the water seemed to be going faster, and they still hadn't figured out anything. Marianna was a bit taller than Aimee, so she'd have about 15 more minutes touching the ground before the water went over her head and the two of them inevitably drowned and died ever so heroically.

Aimee kicked her legs under her and swam a bit, trying to keep herself up for as much time as possible. She hadn't thought about something while she had been trying to figure out a spell to keep Marianna from drowning.

That she was going to have to keep herself up for hours before the water reached the very top.

She watched Marianna, who was looking at the water distastefully, but Aimee could see the worry in her eyes.

Aimee dunked her head under the water and tried opening her eyes again, but the water was so dirty that it stung her eyes and she couldn't see where exactly the extra water was coming in from. She surfaced again and took a deep breath.

"_Well_? See anything?" Marianna demanded instantly. Aimee shook her head.

"The water's so damn dirty and muddy. I can't see anything."

Marianna sighted worriedly. Aimee looked up again, and narrowed her eyes in concentration. The water was going two times faster. Maybe Aimee could magic a rope to get them up? And then maybe they could climb it?

"I'll see if I can magic a rope… Do you know any spells for that?" Aimee asked Marianna.

"Shyeah. Duh," Marianna said, rolling her eyes, and lifted her wand up to the air. She recited the incantation and a rope shot out of her wand. It went up in the air, and then, by art of gravity, came down again and fell splat on the water.

There was a moment of silence as the two of them stared at it.

"It kinda didn't do anything, you know," Aimee finally remarked the obvious, staring deadpan at Marianna.

"You told me to magic a rope, so that's what I did," Marianna snapped, staring back.

"Fine," Aimee growled, seizing the rope and making a loop with it, tying it secured with a knot.

There was a second as she gazed as it in which she noted its resemblance to the rope a person might be hanged with.

Aimee quickly shook this thought away and looked upwards at the jagged wood boards, and made a quick calculation of how to get the rope to loop around one of them. She picked the biggest one she could find and with difficulty, threw it upwards.

The rope was only halfway there. Aimee let out a shriek of exasperation and Marianna backed away.

"Damn it… The water slowing down my throws… I need to get my arms out of the water," Aimee muttered to herself. Then she blinked and her head suddenly swerved to look at Marianna.

"But if I could somehow get myself _out_ of the water…"

Marianna backed away. "Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked in a small voice. Aimee grinned like a predator that had cornered its prey.

Two minutes later, Marianna was squealing like a pig as Aimee stood on her shoulders and wobbled as she threw the rope.

"Dang, it still hasn't caught those pieces of wood," Aimee said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

"Funny how it hasn't worked the last _five_ times," Marianna grunted, and Aimee looked down at her.

"Oh, stop complaining."

Marianna grunted again and shifted to a better position.

Aimee tossed the rope once again, and it sailed over her head and landed perfectly on the exact same piece of wood she'd wanted.

"YES!" Aimee whooped, and Marianna cried out in pain as Aimee wobbled on her shoulders. She grabbed Aimee's ankles tighter and muttered a stream of curses. But the loop slid itself off and landed again into the water with an infuriating _splat_.

"NO!" Aimee yelled angrily, glaring daggers at the jagged piece of wood.

"You need to secure it with something so it doesn't fall back again." Marianna suggested in a pained voice.

Aimee rolled her eyes, "Thank you for stating the obvious, _genius_," she growled.

"Hey, I am _killing_ myself over here so that you can stand on my shoulders and _not_ hurry up, and if I take another minute of this, I'll drop you. _Got it_?" Marianna said dangerously, and gripped Aimee's ankles harder, digging her long nails into her skin as if to prove her point. Aimee's eye twitched in annoyance.

"You know the _Pegatio_ incantation? When the rope gets there, you say it, ok?," Aimee said, resisting the urge to jump on Marianna's shoulders.

"Fine." Marianna hissed.

"On three. One, two, three!" Aimee tossed the rope again and it caught on the same piece of wood. Aimee could not help noticing how much it looked like the sort of plank pirates would use to make people like Marianna jump off. She quickly pushed that thought aside as Marianna muttered, "_Pegatio_!" while pointing her wand at it.

_And the rope stayed where it was._

"YES! It's there! Now we can-" Aimee's whoops of joy were stopped when Marianna shoved Aimee off her. She resurfaced again and waded to the rope. She started to climb.

"So I pretty much let you stand on my shoulders and crush my bones so I can stay here and drown?" Marianna asked, not impressed by Aimee's perfect plan.

"Yep," Aimee answered, not bothering to look down at her. Marianna made a noise of indignation.

"Fine, then," Aimee snapped, "I _could_ get you help, or you _could,_ you know, climb out _yourself_." Her tone suggested something along the lines of "You're stupid."

Marianna frowned, a look of revenge on her face.

"Just pretend it's actually your boyfriend," Aimee added as she clung to the rope, not able to contain herself, "I'm sure you've done it lots of times."

"HEY!" Marianna yelled indignantly, her voice louder than usual. Her outburst echoed in the walls.

Suddenly, both girls heard were a few hurried steps in their direction. Marianna froze, looking upwards with her mouth slightly open as Aimee, too, stopped moving completely, clinging to the rope, only halfway there, her legs around the rope ungracefully, her arms reaching over her head, and looking like an overgrown cocoon.

"Is there somebody there?" A voice yelled, echoing eerily across the hallway above. The two girls stared at the space above. Suddenly Marianna started screaming that made surprised Aimee so much she almost loosened her tight grip on the rope and fell back.

"WE'RE OVER HERE! SAVE US!" Marianna shrieked, splashing the water upwards, "OVER HERE!"

Aimee finally regained conscience and looked up.

"WE'RE STUCK! AND WE NEED HELP TO GET OUT!" Aimee yelled as loud as she could, swaying back and forth as she waggled her butt, hoping the swaying would sowmhow magically transport her to safe dry ground.

It was over. They'd get out. She'd have a nice hot bath and a two-hour session with the shampoo that smelled like roses. She could get changed. She'd be _dry_.

Oh, the joys of being dry!

A man's head stuck into the opening of the hole and he grinned.

"Well, hello _again_, girls," He drawled and Aimee felt her heart sink. Judging by the bruise on his eye and the obvious traces of blood under his nose, she supposed this had been the volunteer that Marianna had brutally punched.

"Um, hi," Aimee squeaked timidly as she gazed up at him. She realized her position right now might not be the best to be found at. Marianna didn't seem the least bothered.

"Hello, a little help here? We've been stuck here six hours!" She said from below. The man's grin widened at the sight of her.

"Of _course,_ princess. I'd be glad to help you and make sure everyone is aware that you were _caught_."

Marianna's ice queen look faltered and she looked troubled for a moment. Aimee couldn't help but make a small squeak of fear. This guy was out for revenge. But, she might as well try to save herself.

"_SHE_ WAS THE ONE WHO PUNCHED YOU!" Aimee yelled, jerking her head at Marianna, seeing as her hands were occupied at the moment, "I'M INNOCENT!"

Marianna scoffed, appalled.

"Tattletale," the man muttered, pointed her wand at her, said the spell, and as Aimee shrieked, she felt the warm paint fall over her head and hands. She ducked her head to avoid any face contact with the paint, resulting in her hair getting a full blast of the red paint.

Aimee stood for a moment with her eyes closed and the red paint dripping down her arms uncomfortably. She whimpered pathetically as she realized it would stay for a week, plus her detention. Six hours of getting lost in some weirdo passage AND almost drowning had been completely futile. Completely in vain.

_He really shouldn't have done that! HE SHOULD KNOW BETTER THAN TO PISS OFF A SEVERELY HORMONED TEENAGER!_

"You may come up now," The man said in a sugary sweet voice. Aimee looked up at him with hateful eyes. Anger bubbled up from her stomach to her throat.

_I will kill him. Even if it's the last thing I do! I don't care if there's a mad evil wizard loose that my brother apparently needs to kill, I SHALL NOT REST TILL REVENGE IS MINE!_

_ALL MINE!!! MUAHAHAHA!!!_

"You are the most _pathetic_, _ugliest little worm _I have _ever_ had the misfortune to meet, and I hope you get stuck in a craphole two days and get rescued by _cannibals_!" Aimee screamed angrily at him. The man shrugged.

"That was pretty much the same thing the other girl with the curly hair said," he commented dryly, and Aimee could see that he didn't give squat about what she had said.

A little voice in Aimee's head ignited, saying, _DIE DIE DIE! REVENGE WILL BE MINE!_

Aimee climbed up with difficulty, guided only by the light of the torch below her and finally was over the top, as the man helped her up, and Aimee was so mad she didn't care what she was saying.

"Don't touch me! God, you're such a _pervert!_ What did you volunteer for, so you could feel up innocent girls and get away with it? Don't think I'm not telling, I'm making sure you get sued!" Aimee said shrilly, knowing perfectly well that he hadn't been groping her at all, only helped her up, his hand brushing against her butt and upper thigh as he did so.

He looked positively taken aback and outraged. "_What_! I was helping you up!" He shouted indignantly. Aimee scoffed.

"Don't think I didn't _notice_," Aimee growled, and slapped him as hard as she could. His mouth opened and closed in surprised. She knew she was becoming Marianna #2, and was making a big drama out of nothing, but her hate for this man was so big she'd do anything to screw his life. And now she had the chance.

"What the-? I wasn't _touching_ you!"

Aimee seized his neck collar and pulled his face to hers. "I don't care _who_ the _heck_ you are, but _I_," Aimee drew herself up to full height, "am _Aimee Potter_, and anything _I _say _will_ be heard, and if _I_ say one of those volunteers was attempting to _grope _me, they _will_ believe me, and I _can_ get you fired from whatever pathetic job you have, _got it_?" She shook him roughly and he nodded pathetically.

"Good." She growled.

Marianna had been quietly climbing up through this whole ordeal and was now clambering up to the dry surface as quietly and carefully as she could, hoping to get past unnoticed. Aimee's grip loosened on the man's collar as she looked behind her and his eyes averted to Marianna, who froze, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

"Carry on," She said, waving her hand at them dismissively.

"_Pinturesco_," the man grunted, pointing his wand feebly at Marianna, who shrieked and ducked, and the red paint landed with a SHLAPPing noise on her back, the tips of her blond hair, and her cheek.

The scream that eminated from Marianna's mouth equaled one of a banshee. She touched her cheek, now dripping with paint. She held her hands in front of her as if they were covered in blood, not red paint, her face reflecting the upmost horror. Then she lowered her hands and clenched her fists, her fiery eyes locked on the man.

"You," She said in a deadly quiet voice, "are going to _die_," and then, without warning, she launched herself at him with a war yell and knocked him cleanly on his back, and she began slapping with such a force Aimee had not believed possible.

"YOU- NEVER- SHOULD- HAVE- TOUCHED- MY- _FACE_!" She shouted with rage, one word between slaps as the man spluttered. Aimee was about to stop her and pull her off him, thought about it, and decided to stand back and watch, but then thought again, and joined into the slapping spree, screaming obscenities that Aimee had never believed she'd be saying herself.

It was loads of fun.

Marianna finally finished beating him up and he lay on the floor, groaning, hands to his face. Marianna stood up as did Aimee and they stood side by side looking down on him as if he were some kind of disgusting worm.

"Now you will tell us which way is out," Marianna ordered. He didn't answer, just rolled over, moaning. Marianna looked at Aimee as if to say, _men_, and then took a step forward and kicked him hard in the stomach. He let out a gasp of pain.

"_Please_," She added sweetly, cocking her head to one side and battering her eyelashes. He groaned and pointed to the middle fork. Aimee blinked.

"I was right, then," She said as they walked around the hole, looking around as she told this obvious lie, knowing Marianna wouldn't forget, ignoring the moaning man behind them (and trodding over his wand as they walked), and went into the middle fork. Marianna pushed her playfully on the shoulder.

"Are _not_! You said right! I said left! We were _both_ wrong," Marianna answered, giggling, returning to sweet pretty princess mode, looking as if she just hadn't beat up a full-grown man ten seconds ago.

Aimee turned and stared at her as they kept following the small corridor. "The great Marianna Nerushay, admitting she was _wrong_?" Aimee gasped exaggeratedly, "The world must be coming to an end!"

Marianna smiled a little, rather timidly, "Well, it's true. If we had just gone through the middle, we'd have escaped. And yeah, of _course_ I'm great," Marianna's smile broadened as she looked up and spotted the stairs. Aimee rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling. One little sentence of humility followed by another containing pure egocentrism.

"Finally, we're getting out!" Aimee remarked. They went up the stairs, talking and laughing as if they had known each other for years, and finally reached the trapdoor and climbed out onto the Charms classroom.

"Whoo! At least it's the weekend and classes are over, so no stress!" Aimee said as they opened the door and walked out into the hallway, which was empty.

"Oh, it's almost dinnertime now, right?" Marianna asked, taking Aimee's stained wrist and looking at her watch, her face falling, "No, it's almost 6, dinner isn't in another hour," She paused, Aimee's wrist still in her hand, "I'll find a way to sneak in, I suppose," She added as an after-thought, "And take a delicious shower," She smiled at the thought.

"Oh, God, yes, a shower!" Aimee said, running a hand though her wet, now red hair and smiling at the prospect of a nice shower, "Mmmh, I've never wanted to take one more than now."

"Because you've never showered, that's why."

Aimee giggled and pushed Marianna gently as she said; "Hey, I _do_ shower! Unlike _you_!"

Marianna laughed, and was about to push her back when a familiar voice rang out.

"AIMEE! Where've you been? Everybody's been looking for you!" Aimee looked up.

"Who's _that_ guy?" Marianna asked, raising her eyebrows as Sirius came over. Aimee rolled her eyes.

"The one and only, Sirius Black, my annoying godfather."

Sirius came over and was about to say something else, she saw his eyes travel to her hair his mouth opened-

"HAHAHAHAHA!!! YOUR HAIR'S RED! HAHA- YOU GOT- HAHA- PAINTBALLED!" Sirius doubled over and started laughing hardcore, long and loud, his bark-like laughs annoying Aimee by the second.

"I think he means your hair," Marianna commented, not knowing any English. Aimee's eye twitched.

_You think?_

"HAHAHAHA!!! YOU LOOK SO WEIRD!"

Aimee sighted and looked at Marianna, who was looking at Sirius as if she could not believe the supposed murderer was standing before her laughing his head off at his goddaughter.

"Everybody does!" Aimee tried to argue, but her voice was drowned by Sirius getting another fit of laughs. Aimee looked around. Anybody could hear him and come over to see what happened. Aimee looked at Marianna.

"Well, I'm gonna go. I have an appointment with the shower and my shampoo," Marianna said uncertainly, and began walking away.

"Okay," Aimee called after her as she went ahead, "Bye!" She looked at Sirius, who looked up at her again and laughed harder than ever.

"You know what? You're annoying me. Bye," She said shortly, pushing past him, making sure her wet, painted hair slapped across his face as she walked past.

Now that Aimee was standing in front of the door leading to the common room of her house, Aimee wasn't sure she even wanted to go in. She had suddenly noticed her bizarre appearance.

Apart from the fast that she was dripping wet and her hair was red, she suddenly became conscious that her white shirt was see-through. Of all days to wear the pink bra with the rubber duckies…

And so, not having anything to cover up her chest, she decided that arranging her hair over her chest and crossing her arms would do. Her hair was missing a couple of cm to cover everything up and her arms were too low, but she had to cope with what she had.

To make things worse, her skirt seemed to go up every time she walked, so she'd have to pull it down so she wouldn't show more than she wanted to. Exactly why did Beauxbatons have such a weird uniform, Aimee did not know, what with the skirt that seemed intent on showing off legs and a white SEE-THROUGH shirt.

At least on the weekends and after classes they were allowed to change to robes and normal clothes, so usually Aimee opted for jeans and a t-shirt. A few pureblood students wore the wizarding robes, but most wore muggle clothes, as they were more comfortable and practical.

She took a deep breath and prepared for the major humiliation that was about to come.

Aimee opened the door.

And at least every single head turned.

_Great, exactly what I need_, Aimee though bitterly as she crossed her arms over her chest and marched across the common room as a few giggles were heard. She could hear them whispering behind their hands and pointing at her.

She noticed that most of them had a few red stains on their skin, despite the change of clothing…

She went past her friends, who were oggling at her with open mouths at her strange appearance. Benjamin had been balancing himself on the arm of a sofa and had promptly fallen off with a loud THUMP as he caught sight of her.

His laugh pierced through the air shamelessly, and a few people began to snigger. Aimee shot him a dirty glare and kept going. She noted angrily that he did NOT have a single bit of red paint on him.

She had never really noticed how far the 7th year girls' dorm was from the door.

"Aimee? Where were you? Why are you all wet? What happened?" Adelaide asked, staring at her. The tips of her curly hair were bright red, especially at the back, as were her hands and face.

"Later," Aimee growled at her, making a gesture with her hand of _Shut-it-or-I'll-kill-you_, and Adelaide closed her mouth.

Charlie just stared at her, at first with a completely bewildered face, and then with a huge mischievious grin plastered on his face that made Aimee want to slap him and scream "PERVERT!" at him. She made a note to laugh at him since he had a huge splotch of red paint on his chin and cheeks, and some of his nose, hastily covered up with a thick scarf despite it was still summer.

To make things worse, the twins Jean and Jacques were there, each with identical red marks on their necks and hands, along with Arthur, who was grinning at her, and he had red paint on his arm, and also Corinne, Gaelle, and Sophie, the latter with a red face.

Not to mention that Ivonne, with red hair like Aimee's, and Elizabeth (red hands and arms) were sitting nearby gawking at her.

Aimee finally reached the door and wrenched it open with a bit more force than necessary, and then stepped in and slammed it closed.

Outside, Charlie and Adelaide were still staring at the closed door while Benji laughed his head off on the floor. Adelaide slapped her hand against her forehead, muttering, "Of all the days she had to wear the rubber duckie bra!"

Arthur grinned from his place on the sofa Benji had fallen off as he said goofily, "I could see the bra strap form behind."

After an hour-long shower and three shampoo and conditioner rinses and still no sign of the horribly red color vanishing, Aimee finally stepped out to the common room to do some homework due next week.

She had discovered while putting her hair up in front of the mirror that the sides of her neck had also been stained, giving her the impression a vampire had bitten her. _Great_. Her hands could be accepted with the red color, since pretty much most of the school had the same hands, but she would not accept the fact that her beautiful, beautiful black hair was now red.

Sure, her mom had been a redhead. Aimee was sure the color looked flattering on _her _head, by the way her dad had always been trying to ask her out.

But if there was one thing that Aimee liked about herself, it was the jet black color her hair had, and she liked it very much that way, thank you very much. Red hair was not something she'd like to keep. But seeing the circumstances… the cap she had received from Ron on her birthday was staying a long, long time.

The roots of her black hair at the nape of her neck were untouched, and if she put her hair up and made it a bunch at the very top with the cap concealing all of her hair, and she had charmed her head so the bump at the top wouldn't be seen.

Dinner should be over by now, considering the fact that Aimee had taken a long time to get ready, and she didn't fancy sitting inside the dorm room all alone.

As she sat down on the sofa Benji had fallen off , Adelaide bombarded her again with questions

"Alright. I want to know WHY you jumped in the lake and WHY it took you so long to come back," Adelaide commanded, and Aimee put down her quill slowly, knowing she wouldn't be doing much homework tonight, as barging into the common room completely wet around 6 hours later than supposed would probably take a lot of time to explain what happened.

"Nice cap," Charlie commented, smirking at Aimee.

"Nice make-up you're wearing," Aimee answered shortly, even though he wasn't and settling herself down comfortably, noticing the boys from her year, plus the girls she shared her dorm with were leaning forward expectantly.

Ivonne and Elizabeth had come to talk, and Benji immediately stopped trying to push Aimee off her seat and sat down next to Ivonne, his face reflecting pure innocence.

Like _that_ would ever happen.

"Alright, I just want to know first what happened to you guys," She announced.

"Got caught, going up the stairs," Adelaide muttered angrily.

"Same," Charlie shrugged.

"I hid in the shadows while they passed, waited 5 minutes, then went up and headed outside," Benji boasted, "No detention for me!" He grinned.

"They got me while I was passing the stairs in front of the Grand Salle," Ivonne spoke up, gesturing to her red hair, which had been put up in a ponytail. A few stray red hairs were around her face. Red was a good color on her, Aimee mused.

"Face-first," Elizabeth said. She was wearing a turtleneck t-shirt and a cap to shadow her face, complete with huge bug-like sunglasses.

"We got caught together with Corinne, and we put our hands in front of us," Jean said, showing his red hands and the bits of red paint on their faces. Jacques nodded.

"Got me on my back," Arthur said, turning his head around to show specks of red on his dirty-blond curly hair.

"And I don't get detention!" Benji said again, "there were just about 20 people who didn't get paintballed!"

"I didn't get painted," Gaelle spoke up as she came and sat down with the group. Aimee noticed with jealousy that she didn't have on speck of red on her.

"Now you," Charlie said to Aimee, jabbing her on her arm, "This better be good."

Aimee took a deep breath and the whole group closed in to listen. She told the story, getting interrupted quite a few times by various people, conveniently leaving out the part in which she banged her head repeatedly for a few minutes, repeated the same phrase over and over again, sang, and even pretended to be a mermaid.

She decided they didn't need to know what had happened while they were stuck.

Now, if Marianna would cooperate…

The next day, after dinner, Aimee settled down to finish the homework she had NOT done yesterday, but was surprised when Charlie stood up and started yelling;

"THOSE WHO'D LIKE TO KNOW WHO GOT INTO THE QUIDDITCH TEAM, SHUT UP!"

The whole common room went quiet, except for two second year girls who had quite ignored him and were still talking in quite loud voices;

"Oh, come on, no way!"

"Yes way, Alexandra, it _is_-"

A 5th year boy who had been at the tryouts cleared his throat, the two girls looked up, blushed, and slunk away to their dorm, embarrassed.

"Well," Charlie began, clapping his hands together and grinning (Aimee was sure he'd been grinning at her), "Let's start by the beater that made it…" He took out a bulletin board and checked the name, "And the lucky guy is Laurent Knapp!"

A burly fifth year whooped. Microphone-Head, as Aimee had come to call the original beater, clapped him on the back.

"Welcome to the team, dude," he grunted. Laurent grinned.

"And the seeker is…" Charlie paused. The little third year girl gave a squeal and grasped her friend's hand tightly as Charlie said: "Camille Montana."

"And now… our two chasers…" Charlie paused to flash Aimee an evil grin. Aimee could've jumped up and seized his neck to shake him, but seeing that they were surrounded by a whole lot of people who were anxious to know who had made the team and would probably blast her into smithereens if she killed the one person who knew the results, she compensated by giving Charlie her extra-special Do-What-I-Want glare.

"Chaser one, Jacques Ventura!"

Jacques whooped and sprang up in his seat. Jean yelled: "That's great, Jacques!" and Adelaide smiled at him and congratulated him. Jacques sat down looking extremely happy.

"And the second chaser…" Another hesitation. Aimee was close to fainting with anxiety by now, "is…" Charlie was positively pausing on purpose, Aimee knew it, as he said; "Aimee Potter."

Aimee jumped up, her fist in the air.

"YES! YES! I DID IT! I'M ON THE QUIDDITCH TEAM!" She screamed, jumping up and down. Then she stopped, aware that everyone was staring at her. The whole common room was quiet except for a small giggle that escaped _cute little_ Camille's mouth.

Someone coughed.

Charlie just stared at her with a strange look on his face, as was Benji, who seemed at loss for words as he stared at her with a Why-is-she-yelling look on his face. Aimee sat down, her cheeks the same color as her hair.

"I meant, uh, what an honor," She added hastily in a small voice.

Charlie rolled his eyes and plopped down on the couch next to her, seizing her cap and yanking it off.

"Hey! That's mine!" Aimee whined as the common room started chatting again. Charlie grinned at her.

"Tomato-head," He teased, waving the cap out of her reach. Aimee grabbed his other arm and twisted it as hard as she could. Charlie blinked at her.

"That doesn't hurt."

"_This_ does," Aimee said, and twisted it behind his back forcefully and shoved it upwards as she listened with satisfaction Charlie's yelp of pain. With that, she picked up her cap once again and jammed it on her head.

**A/N: Please review. I'd appreciate it, and it reminds me to update (AHEM). Hopefully you people enjoyed MY RETURN TO HUMANITY, as I've been missing for, like, a **_**year**_**. Review, please. I'd like to see what you think of it!**


	20. The Tie dye Hair Blues

**A/N: This chapter was a lot of fun to write. I hope you njoy reading it as much as I did when writing it!**

The next day, the girls' dormitory was sleeping quite peacefully, full of girls dreaming about their Prince Charming, and Aimee was quite enjoying sleeping in after a stressful week.

It was a quiet morning; the curtains were closed so the sun wouldn't bother them, and all you could hear was the gentle breathing and a few birds chirping outside.

The girls' dormitories were divided in two parts- the upper and lower years. The girls from 2nd to 4th year slept in the first floor, and had three large rooms in which each year slept in. This part shared one huge bathroom, with showers, tubs, and toilets, so in the morning you saw quite a lot of girls there.

The upper half was the 5th to 7th year grades and it was divided the same way as the lower grades. They, too, shared on huge bathroom like the lower grades.

Now, in this bathroom, for now there were just around two or three early birds, seeing as it was only 9 o clock in the morning and all the girls were being sloths, sleeping until midday.

As Aimee slept on, one of these girls was taking a shower. As she stepped out, wrapping a towel around herself, this girl caught sight of herself in the mirror.

Aimee was woken up by a very loud shriek and she promptly fell off her bed, taking half the sheets with her, as she was entangled very much. With a grunt, she groped about her night table, feeling around for her alarm clock and looked at the time.

It was 9.14 AM. _Drat_. Aimee loved sleeping in, but now she wouldn't be able to sleep now that she had been awaked so rudely by a scream. Hit by realization of why any girl would want to be screaming and waking up everyone at _this_ ungodly hour, she disentangled herself form the sheets, got up and dusted herself, and then stumbled into the bathroom, which was now being entered by around 10 girls trying to figure out what the commotion was about, almost crashing against the door in a poor attempt to walk with her eyes closed.

In the bathroom, she found Ivonne, surrounded by what seemed like half the female population at Beaxbatons, wrapped tightly in a blue towel and her hair-

It was PINK.

"Ivonne, what happened? Why's your hair-" Aimee stopped short as she watched the 15-year old girl clutch a strand of her pink hair with a very anxious face.

"It must've turned pink overnight! And it's staying for a week!" Ivonne whimpered, looking close to fainting. Aimee watched a few girls check themselves, and sure enough, there were pink faces, hair, hands, arms, and legs.

Aimee's eyes bulged. If the red had gone to be replaced by pink, then-

She slowly turned the mirror.

And then she screamed for 40 seconds straight.

"Aimee! Aimee, shut up!" Adelaide yelled at her, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. Aimee kept screaming, a horrified expression on her face as she gazed at her bright electric pink hair in the mirror.

"Aimee! It's _just_ pink hair!" Sophie pleaded, watching as Aimee turned a steady shade of purple as she kept on screaming. Sophie looked rather scared at her as Aimee went on higher and higher notes. Even Ivonne had stopped whining to stare at her. Even all the girls in the bathroom were staring at her blankly.

"Somebody shut her up!" A voice called form the doorway; the lower grades had arrived, but Aimee took no notice, she just shook her head and kept on screaming, showing no signs of stopping.

"AIMEE! SHUT THE HELL UP!" Adelaide shrieked as loud as Aimee, seizing a towel and hitting her across the face. Aimee stopped screaming abruptly.

"Now," Adelaide started dangerously, grabbing her by the shoulders, towel dangling by one hand, "You will calm down. It is _just_ pink hair. It _can_ be hidden."

"I HATE PINK!" Aimee shrieked hysterically, and took a deep breath to start screaming again as she looked at herself in the mirror again, but Corinne clamped a hand around her mouth.

"I _hate_ pink. I hate it, I hate it!" Aimee repeated once Corinne's hand had been removed. She felt like throwing a tantrum and marching into Madame Maxime's office to sue her and the school now. Oh, if Sirius ever found out about this…

He would never let her live it down.

"Calm down!" A sixth year girl said, "Look at my _face_! _How_ am I supposed to hide _this_ skin? And it's not like it's scarf season!" she argued, gesturing towards her face, which was, indeed, an electric pink color. Aimee shrugged.

"Sunglasses, hat, and said scarf, maybe," She said quietly. Now she felt like crying. Ivonne huddled over to Aimee, still wrapped tightly in her towel and placed a comforting arm around her.

"At least say you've got a cap. All I have is a really dorky beret."

Aimee sighted and her shoulders slumped, "I hate pink. I can't figure out why such an ugly color exists."

"Oh, come on," Another girl piped up, "Pink can't be _that_ bad, can it? It's _just_ a color." It was evident the girls were trying to comfort her, scared that she might explode her head inside out if she started screaming again.

"I suppose…" Aimee muttered.

"Ok, then. Who else has pink hair here?" Ivonne asked, to the whole group in general, at least 30 girls were huddled around them, and around 5 or 6 piped up, "I do!"

A fifth year girl in pink pajamas -extremely small boy-shorts and a rather belly-button-showing spaghetti strap shirt- stepped forward, her hair a bright pink and sat on the sink, her back to the mirror, "Seriously, pink hair isn't that bad. It's a nice color," Aimee bit back the thought of snapping at her that it was probably because she was a really dumb blond bimbo.

And she _was_ blond, her hair straight and with a thick volume of it, with perfect skin and long, elegant legs. She was wearing _pink_ slippers, her nails were perfectly manicured and, Aimee shuddered as she looked at them, they were _pink_. Her hair was back in a loose ponytail in a _pink_ hair band, and she was wearing _pink _bracelets and necklace, and even her _toenails_ were pink.

Aimee's eyes almost broke as she teared her eyes away from her, and instead looked at the mirror, scowling at the pink that covered her hair. She vaguely remembered Tonks, and wished suddenly she was a Metomporhagi so she could change her hair color back to its shiny jet black color.

But as usual, Aimee's wishes of spontaneous thought didn't come true.

Half an hour later, Aimee was ready with her cap covering all of her hair, dressed in normal clothes, and trudging down the stairs feeling like hexing anybody who asked why she was wearing a cap indoors. She had already snapped at three or four 2nd and 3rd years, and had even taken out her wand out when the fifth one had asked. He had backed up and scampered away at the sight of her angry face.

She went down to breakfast rather early with Adelaide; she supposed the boys were still snoring away in their dormitory. She scowled at the thought; it wasn't her fault she'd been woken up so early in the morning!

Pouring herself a bowl of cornflakes and dunking her spoon in it rather angrily (flecks of milk jumped up at her), she ate her breakfast silently and not looking forward to the day. Now her weekend was ruined! She could have put up with red hair, but _pink_? Never!

"Oh, stop being so depressed. It could be worse," Adelaide reminded her and Aimee shot her a dirty look.

"_How_?" She snorted, glaring at her cornflakes as if it was their fault her hair was pink.

"He could have gotten your face."

Aimee scooped up some more cornflakes and chewed on them rather savagely, as if she wanted to cause them pain. Unfortunately, the very-welcomed sound of screaming, dying cornflakes was not heard.

A wide yawn behind her caused her to jump and almost loose her cap. She glared up at Charlie, lump of cornflakes sticking out her cheek, as he sat down next to her looking quite happy and wearing a scarf. Aimee frowned, aware that milk was dripping down her chin, and turned back to her cereal without saying anything.

"Good morning to you, too," Charlie said pleasantly as Benji exaggerated his yawn and plopped down happily on the other side of her. Aimee decided now was a good time to wipe her chin if she didn't wish to be called a dog again.

"Ah, what a nice day not to wear extra clothing! It's so nice today!" Benji said loudly as he piled his plate with pancakes. He smiled charmingly at the three of them, and Aimee, Adelaide, and Charlie glared darkly at him.

Benji looked from Aimee's cap, to Charlie's scarf, to Adelaide's sunglasses and exaggerated make-up and powder that she had applied on her face in a hopeful attempt to make the pink less brighter.

That's when Charlie seized Aimee's full spoon (with Aimee's hand still holding it) and flicked _her_ cornflakes at Benji's face.

And that's when Benjamin decided that syrup went well with Charlie's hair, squirting half the bottle at him and getting a rather large amount on Aimee's lap, who then whipped out her wand and placed a full-body bind on both of them. And they the two boys fell out of their chairs and fell to the floor and stayed there, unmoving. After putting a cleaning spell on herself, Aimee felt better. _Much_ better.

Aimee smirked as she spooned more cornflakes into her mouth, thinking with satisfaction that at least now both of them couldn't whisper to each other that it was probably _that_ time of the month.

"Finally," Adelaide muttered, "I can't believe I never thought of that."

"You'd be surprised at what I can think of doing with them," Aimee muttered darkly.

Just then, Adelaide's sister and her gang passed by, Benji attempted to scoot under the table but managed only to move what seemed like a negative number. He stayed right where he was.

And then Paola took out her wand and took the charm off Charlie but didn't bother to help Benji, "That's what you get for not getting paintballed!"

"Yeah!" Charlie chorused, and was soon in power of the syrup bottle. Benji's eyes bulged.

An hour later they were out in the sun, Aimee had taken out a book from the library and it was now sitting across her lap as she read it under a random oak tree.

Adelaide was doodling on a piece of parchment, drawing stick people and analyzing master plans at getting them killed in the most brutal and freaky ways (Way #23: Build Shark Tank. Tie scrap of meat around neck. Jump in. Way #36: Go swimming during monsoon season.), while Benji studied for a test on Monday. And Charlie was moaning about how bored he was.

There were the twins, Jean and Jacques, sitting with them along with Corinne, and Jacques was looking utterly bored as he complained along with Charlie as his brother kissed his girlfriend rather passionately.

"I'm _so_ bored," Jacques whined, lying on his back, gazing at the sky, and kicking at the bark of the tree with his legs. He sneaked a look at Adelaide, who was still lying on her stomach, her feet were up in the air, a book under the parchment so she could use the firm, hard structure as a base to draw.

"I said I'm _bored_!" He repeated impatiently, again kicking hard at the tree as if to prove his point. Corinne and Jean kept kissing, showing no signs of stopping anytime soon, and Aimee, absorbed in her book, was barely listening, as was Benji. Adelaide's quill left the parchment and she played with it with her fingers thoughtfully. Jacques, impatient that nobody was listening to him, kicked again at the tree, giving a short glance at each of them.

Five minutes later, he spoke again, inching towards Adelaide as he asked with a slight curiousness in his voice; "Whatcha drawin'?"

Adelaide shrugged and said in the most casual voice, "Oh, just ways to kill people. You know. Like Way number 39, Spray insecticide into mouth."

"_Insecticide_?" Jacques asked as he looked over her shoulder, heaving himself off the ground and staring skeptically at the parchment. "You know, that bottle of insecticide looks like a car."

"That's because that isn't the illustration that goes with Way number 39," Adelaide explained cheerfully, then pointed at another part of the parchment, "In this one, you get to stand in the middle of a highway during rush hour."

"Ah," Jacques said simply and then coughed loudly, but it sounded oddly like, "_Maniac_."

Adelaide turned around on her back and looked at him as if trying to glare while smiling and she punched Jacques playfully on the arm.

"You little-!" She did not finish because Jacques poked her on the side and she broke off into giggles. Tickling was a weak side of Adelaide's. She smacked him harder, and Jacques gasped as he rubbed his shoulder.

"You _hit_ me! You're _abusing_ me! What _kind_ of monster _are_ you, anyway?"

Adelaide giggled as she responded, "Oh, stop it, Jacques!"

Jacques thought for a moment. Charlie rolled his eyes at Jacques' sudden activity: flirting. He picked at a piece of grass lazily.

"You know what we do to monsters to make them go away?" Jacques asked her, twisting around over her so that he could see her face. Adelaide shrugged.

"We drown them."

Adelaide paused for a moment and turned to look at him, narrowing her eyes, and her mouth opened in suspicion, "You _wouldn't_-"

Her sentence was cut short as Jacques stood up and hoisted her up around the waist, lifting her up easily off the ground as she squealed. He hauled her on his shoulder and started carrying her to the lake.

" JACQUES! JACQUES, PUT ME DOWN!' Adelaide screamed. Aimee sighed and kept reading. There was a slight laughing tone in her voice, as if she was enjoying herself.

"No."

"PUT-ME-DOWN!"

"Never!" Jacques cried in a valiant voice, sounding like a conqueror in his last moments of dignity.

"JACQUES, PUT ME DOWN, GODDAMIT!" The laughing tone left her voice and was nearing hysterical and even panicked.

Adelaide kept screaming as Jacques carried her to the lake, nearing the dock. When he reached the end of the dock, Adelaide started kicking him. He just calmly took of her right shoe off and threw it over his shoulder, missing Adelaide's head by mere millimeters. Then he started taking off her sock.

"You don't want to get your socks wet, do you, Addie? Wet socks are _not_ pleasant." Jacques said in a non-chalant voice.

"I DON'T _WANT_ TO GET WET AT ALL!"

Jacques ignored this outburst and took off her other shoe and threw it over his shoulder, it bounced off the dock and fell into the water with a loud PLOP!

"MY SHOE!" Adelaide shrieked, wriggling in his grasp. She flapped her arms as if wishing she could fly and retrieve her shoe from the depths of the lake.

"What about it?" Jacques asked her calmly as he took off her other sock. Adelaide shrieked in a very ungirlish way, sounding more like a banshee now, kicking her legs hard. Jacques heaved her off his shoulder and with a small grunt he threw her into the lake.

Adelaide's shriek was cut short as she fell into the water. Jacques grinned, clapped his hands together as if saying 'my work here is done' and started to walk away.

Adelaide's head popped up and she began climbing up to the dock silently, her eyes glaring at her prey. Aimee frowned at how Jaws-Movie-Shark-Attack-like Adelaide looked like.

"Do you think we should tell him a deranged girl is behind him?" Benji asked lazily as he turned a page daintily of his book. Aimee yawned.

"Nah," Charlie shrugged, watching as Adelaide gave a war yell and jumped on Jacques, "Should be more interesting that way," He added as Jacques pleaded for mercy and Adelaide sat on his back, pinning him down. Then she ripped her hair band off her hair, the pink tips coming to her face, as Jacques squeaked; "Wait! I'm sorry!"

"Too late!" She started to grab clumps of her hair and she twisted them, dripping large amounts of water onto his head.

"Kicking and screaming, they are," Aimee murmured to herself, not looking up from her book, as she heard Adelaide laughing loudly and rather diabolically. She didn't notice Benji's and Charlie's eyes meet and they nodded, a mischievous look in their eyes.

Suddenly, the book was wrenched from her grasp and she found herself flipped upside down as Charlie and Benji both seized her legs and arms and started swinging her dangerously around.

"CORINNE! HEEEEEELP!" Aimee shrieked, thrashing wildly in hopes of escaping, but the last girl left seemed to be glued by the mouth to her boyfriend, neither of them had looked up or shown any signs of paying attention to the ruckus. Aimee screamed loudly, going on and on for as long as she could hold it. She tried kicking Charlie as he was the one holding her ankles as they reached the dock, but it was no use.

"On, three, ok?" Charlie said, and Benji nodded happily.

"One!"

"NO! NO! I'M _INNOCENT_! PLEASE _DON'T_!"

"Two!"

"STOP IT! _NOW_! DON'T THROW ME! I'M WEARING JEANS AND I'LL DROWN!"

"THREE!"

"AAAAAAAAAAH-" _SPLASH_!

And then Aimee found herself wet twice once again in the short span of 24 hours.

She clambered up ungracefully on the dock, taking in her surroundings. Charlie and Benji were laughing their heads off cruelly ("Did you see her _face_? I didn't know a girl could actually _look_ like that except using mutilation!"), Adelaide was still sitting on Jacques back as he asked desperately what had happened, his shirt was soaked with Adelaide's butt sitting on him, and the couple under the tree were still snogging endlessly.

Aimee growled, sounding like a dog, and stood up on the dock, glaring hardcore at the two boys, who didn't seem the least intimidated by her.

"I suggest you run. As fast as you can," Aimee said dangerously to Charlie and Benji, who were watching her soaked figure with entertainment.

Adelaide yelled: "You go, girl! Get 'em!" and whooped, putting a fist up in the air in victory.

And with that, Aimee started running after them as the pair laughed their heads. Unfortunately, Charlie, being the tallest and playing Quidditch for who knows how may years, and Benji, who jogged various times a week, could not be caught up with.

And Aimee did not indeed catch up, instead she plopped down angrily on the ground, seized Benji's book, and sat on it, then levitated Charlie's forgotten scarf over the lake, dropping it with an evil smile as Charlie watched his beloved scarf go down and plop into the middle of the lake, far away from the bank.

"That's cheating!" Benji complained as he neared her, then he spotted his book under her and his eyes widened comically, "_Get off my book_!" he hissed and dove for her as Aimee moved, smiling satisfactorily.

"That's what you get from getting me soaking wet," She snapped at him as he gazed at his book with a worried expression.

"The ink is splotched!"

"That's what magic is for, my dear friend." Aimee pointed out.

Benji scowled at her, and Aimee smirked back at him. She saw, out of corner of her eye, Charlie attempting to get his scarf back by saying; "_Accio scarf_!" and swishing his wand madly.

"Pink Wet Dog," Benji muttered suddenly, and Aimee whipped her head around to look at him, her wet hair slapping against the tree noisily. She stood up, as did Benji.

"_What_ did you call me?" Aimee started dangerously, her eyes narrowed.

"_ACCIO SCARF_, DAMN IT!" Charlie yelled angrily, and then started screaming words even Aimee had never heard before.

Benji just smirked, "Pink Wet Dog. P.W.D. Such a nice name," Yes, he knew he had pissed her off, due to the fact that Aimee's eye twitched. And he knew that her wand was still somewhere where she had dropped it on the dock, and jumping on him and attempting kill him was out of the question.

Ivonne would never forgive her for killing her future boyfriend. Aimee would never be able to live while knowing she had ripped Ivonne's true love from her arms.

But she could always find her another suitable guy…

Benji watched her with satisfaction as the wheels in her head turned. Finally, she turned around suddenly and her wet hair slapped Benji forcefully on his face, even dripping a large amount of water down his t-shirt and he stumbled back, falling on his bum as Aimee stormed off.

For once Aimee was glad she had long hair.

Finally, Jacques was able to put his weight to force and knocked Adelaide off him, sending her flying, once again, into the lake.

And then Charlie's scarf emerged from the water, he jumped with a mighty; "HA!" just as the wet scarf wrapped itself around his neck and attempted to strangle him.

Just then, Corinne and Jean broke apart and, looking rather breathless, looked around.

"Did we miss something?"

**A/N: I don't know why I keep repeating the 'dumb bimbo' line. I mean, it's **_**funny**_**. And just so any blondes out there know, I have nothing against blondes. My **_**sister**_** is blond. She is about the ****smartest**** four-year-old I've ever met. ****Even if I love teasing her a lot more than is considered healthy. **

**But on the bright side, she'll learn from my brother and me to defend herself and never be bullied!**

**Review, people! **


	21. A Fight to Kill

**A/N: This was a very big chapter for me, and I'd been waiting to write it for a long time. So, enjoy, and tell me what you think of it!**

Two days and 5 bottles of shampoo later, the pink hair seemed persistent on shining brightly for all to see. In fact, it turned out it turned different colors every couple days, and now it was blue. Aimee decided this was better than pink, at least.

So, securing her cap safely on her head to hide the blue hair, she grabbed her broom and headed off to the Quidditch Pitch for her very first Quidditch practice. Aimee was so excited about it, she felt ashamed.

She literally hopped to practice, but managed to slow it to a skip once she reached Quidditch Pitch.

Practice started, and Charlie proved to be a strict, but good captain. First, he told the chasers that they'd have to do 20 push-ups at the beginning of every practice to have strong arms and 20 abdominals so they'd have more endurance on a broom (Aimee was sure he'd looked at her when he'd said that). For the beaters was 30 push-ups, 20 abdominals, and preferably weight-lifting every once in a while.

Camille, the seeker, was assigned a less fatigue-taking task, 10 push-ups and 10 abdominals. Aimee was angry to discover that the annoying little girl had no blue spots of paint on her. Curse that infernal little smart-mouth!

Aimee smiled in satisfaction at how well the adjective 'infernal' fit Camille perfectly well.

The keeper, Charlie himself, had assigned himself what he felt like doing at the moment. And what he felt like doing at the moment was verifying if everyone was doing what they were supposed to do.

"How come _I_ get less push-ups and abdominals? Is this because I'm younger? Do you think I'm _less_ talented than anybody else or something? _Some_ captain," Camille demanded in whiny tones as she did her push-ups.

Charlie walked towards her and stood blocking the sun as he said in a voice dripping with sarcasm: "No, no, we just don't want out seeker to get really heavy with _extra muscles_ if she does _one_ too many push-ups." He then told her what she'd be doing 15 of each this time.

Meanwhile, Aimee panted hard as she did her 16th push-up along with Adelaide, knees planted firmly on the ground, and Jacques was almost finished, using only one arm and grinning. Damn show-off. It wasn't _her_ fault she was just a poor little weakling.

"Well, at least… at least we don't have to… worry about… about getting fat," Aimee joked as Adelaide gave a sort of bitter laugh and continued to do her abdominals.

When they had finally finished, Charlie gave them two huge, heavy balls that weighted as much as a very fat 3-year-old, and then told them they'd have to pass them to each other 100 times before actually getting a chance to touch the quaffle.

The beaters had to beat each other up with the bludgers, and bonus points if they hit any unsuspecting team player. Aimee jumped on her broom, unbalanced a bit by the weight of the huge ball she held in her arm, knowing that Charlie HAD charmed it to weight two times as much as a normal quaffle would.

Camille was sent off after the snitch with no really interesting task but to chase it (Aimee was sure he'd charmed to fly faster than normal).

After dropping the balls twice and having to start all over again, they finally reached 100 passes and then they played a friendly game in which the beaters tried to knock the chasers off their brooms while they tried to get the ball past the goalpost, and Camille, Aimee noticed, was still somewhere attempting to catch the snitch.

After practice, Charlie descended to see if everybody was there.

"Well, good work beaters, liked that little stunt you pulled off on Aimee— Don't worry, Aims, that lump on your head'll be hidden by your cap, anyway--"

"I lost my cap after that bloody bludger left me _brain damaged_! I see weird colored spots!"

"And, chasers, pretty good, Jacques, keep it up. Aimee, you'll live, Adelaide, same old boring technique--"

"Do you want to wake up hanging by your bedpost tomorrow, Charlie?"

"I meant- still as good as ever… And now… I'm just missing my _favorite_ little girl in the world…" Charlie's voice trailed off as he noticed Camille wasn't there.

"I got the snitch," An annoyed voice said behind Charlie, he turned and grinned.

"Ah, _there_ you are!"

Aimee leaned to the left to see past Charlie's body and saw Camille, who was holding up the snitch begrudgingly to Charlie with a dirty glare, and looking like she had been rolling around in dog poop all this time.

Aimee know knew why Charlie had grinned as she stifled a laugh, reminding herself that Camille was younger than her and she shouldn't laugh at her and depress her or anything. She bit her lip hard to keep from sniggering.

Her knees were skinned, her face dirty with mud (or poo!), and her hair, usually kept up by a perfectly neat ponytail, was falling slightly to her right side, and her bangs were flipped upwards—Aimee doubted they could ever be returned to their prior newness.

Yep, she had definitely been rolling around in poop to get that snitch back.

"I see you've done a good job," Jacques said, smiling fatherly at Camille as she marched past them with whatever dignity she still had left and leaving Charlie chuckling as he put the snitch back in the box.

"Charlie! Stop laughing at her!" Adelaide hissed at him. She seized her broom and held it tightly as if stopping herself from bonking him over the head.

Charlie shook his head and then shoved the snitch back in its box, "That girl will do anything to prove she's not 12."

"I'm _thirteen_!" An indignant yell was heard form the girls' locker room.

"Point taken," Charlie said, and Aimee finally lost it and burst out laughing.

* * *

_Dear Harry,_

_Yeah, I know I haven't written in a while. I'm so lazy. Say hi to everybody else there for me, will you?_

_Well, it's been a really hectic week for me. If you thought Dumbledore was crazy, think again._

_Madame Maxime is a complete LUNATIC!_

_We had this weird Death Eater drill in the dead of the night, and Sirius, who was pretending to be a Death Eater, caught us. Then, we had another drill, this one involving paint that stays on for a week. I believe my hair, after about, oh, I don't know, SEVEN bloody bottles of shampoo, is STILL DAMN BLUE. _

_Excuse me while I finish screaming and tie my hands up to stop myself from shaving my head._

_I feel much better now. Ah, throwing my potions homework out the window sure does work wonders!_

_Anyway, I ALSO got stuck with Marianna Nerushay, who is like the annoying equal to Pansy Parkinson. In a hole. That had water in it. For 5 HOURS!_

_Yes. Such a nice school, isn't it?_

_Yesterday we went to the lake. We have one here, too! Except it's smaller and colder. Well, Jacques, Benjamin, and Charlie had the very smart idea of throwing Adelaide and me into the lake._

_Another thing I forgot to mention is how nice people are here. Not._

_Well, what with all the studies and everything, I've been really busy. And you haven't written to me either, so there! _

_Aimee, the forgotten sister._

* * *

The flash of a camera left Aimee blind and she dropped her homework. She blinked a few times and cleared her eyes and found Adelaide observing a camera up-close.

"Really nice quality, these," She murmured, and then sat down next to Aimee, putting down a letter and the remains of a package paper along with the camera.

"Addie? What are you doing?" Aimee asked, watching as Adelaide wrapped the camera with the brown paper package.

"Your brother. He sent me a letter and a camera so I could take a picture of you."

"Harry?"

"Yep. Here, he sent you this."

Aimee took the small piece of parchment that Adelaide had been holding out to her.

_HA! I'm selling the pictures 50 pounds each and I'll be a millionaire by the end of the week!_

_Oh, and by the way, I have very big news to tell you. Remember that guy who was the Gryffindor Quidditch team captain a few years ago, the one named Oliver?_

_Well, the big news have nothing to do with him._

_I just wrote that paragraph to distract you while your good friend Adelaide ties the camera to Hedwig and sends it back to me. Look for your color picture in the Daily Prophet tomorrow!_

_Your ever loving brother,_

_Harry _

Aimee looked up just in time to see Hedwig flapping her wings and leaving Adelaide's arms. Aimee gaped.

"No!" Aimee gasped, "Why'd you do that?"

"He promised me two Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans boxes."

"_So_?"

"I like Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans."

* * *

Aimee had learned how to French braid now. She discovered that by french braiding her hair into 2 plaids, the blue hair, now carrot orange, would be dissimulated. Only the orange was on top, so her black hair was showed too as it interwined with the bright orange.

Apparently, she had set a trend because girls were now wearing their hair like that and the color didn't show shamelessly that way.

At least the week was almost over, only two more days were left. Aimee wondered if her hair would change color once again tomorrow. She wasn't sure whether she wanted it changed or not, it might change to something horrid, like white, or maybe chicken yellow. Maybe even green.

But then again, orange wasn't too nice either.

* * *

"I think that quaffle might've hit your head a _bit_ too hard," Jacques commented after Quidditch practice, examining Adelaide's head, "There's a huge lump forming on the top of your head."

"Quaffle's aren't _supposed_ to hit people," Adelaide answered through gritted teeth. Aimee decided she wouldn't take the shower next to Adelaide. When Addie was angry after a rough practice, she turned the hot water all the way to boiling. Aimee didn't know however she managed to escape without three-degree burns on her scalp.

But now, Adelaide was more than angry. She was seething.

"Unless the people over said hit person drop the said quaffle over said hit person's head, then _yes_," Adelaide hissed, turning around to face Jacques face to face, although he was a head taller than her, "You could say that quaffle _did_ hit me very hard upon my head."

"It wasn't my fault. Aimee's throw was much too weak and I'd been expecting some sort of actual energy in her trying to salvage your head," Jacques said apologetically.

Adelaide turned to Aimee with narrowed eyes, and literally growled. Then she stomped off to the showers.

* * *

Aimee released the towel and shook her wet head, leaving damp stains on her school uniform. Having just emerged from the showers (and very narrowly missed being sprayed with boiling hot water that Adelaide claimed to have been an accident) a few minutes before, she stuffed her belongings back into the bag, and took out her wand to dry her hair magically. After saying the incantation, and then another to make sure her hair stayed wavy and puffy-less. She emerged alone from the girl's shower room, since Adelaide had been much too angry with Aimee's accidental slip to wait for her.

She didn't mind, knowing that by the time she reached the common room, Adelaide would be less angry and more happy. Aimee walked around the girl's room, going slowly over her homework assignments.

_Man, I really have to finish that stupid Potions essay, it's due tomorrow._

She stopped as she heard the sound of angry voices coming from the forest as she walked by.

_And that spell Madame Boulevaux told us to practice, I haven't even the slightest clue what the incantation is, and…_

"I told you I'd get back at you." A boy said from within the forest. Aimee's thoughts wandered away and were replaced with curiosity. She made sure nobody was looking and then sneaked into the forest. The voices came form a clearing not too far away.

"Think you can get away with what you did on the train? This is payback, asshole."

Aimee cleared one last branch just in time to see two boys hold Charlie, and then, Jean-Pierre punched him hard in the stomach. Charlie doubled over. Aimee bit back a gasp and slapped her hand to her mouth. Her heart started beating madly.

Charlie looked up, panting. "Payback? You tried to _kill _us back on the train and you still lost. Shrieked like a sissy, too." Jean-Pierre looked angrier than ever, and his fist swung again, but Charlie ducked.

But then as Jean-Pierre's fist missed Charlie's face by inches, his eyes looked in her direction. And he saw her, standing there, witnessing the fight, both hands pressed against her mouth in shock.

"Ooh, your girlfriend came to watch," Jean-Pierre laughed, but it was a laugh that had a tone of cruelty, as if her arrival made the situation better for him. Charlie turned around, his hair getting into his face and making it harder for Aimee to see his expression, and he saw her.

Aimee stood there stupidly, embarrassed to be caught standing behind a tree like a scared five-year-old.

"Aimee, go away, You'll get hurt. This is between Smith and me," Charlie said firmly, waving his hand at her as a signal to go.

"No, stay. I've got business with you, too," Jean said, striding over to her. Aimee came forward.

"You know, I believe a fair fight doesn't include one's idiot friends backing him up," Aimee said coldly, wand in hand.

Jean-Pierre rolled his eyes. "Oh, _shut up_, bitch," he said, and without warning, he hit her, hard, smashing his fist into her cheekbone.

"Stay away from her, you bastard!" Charlie roared feircely, and seized Jean by the back of his neck and pulled him down forcefully onto the ground. Aimee stayed where she was, on the ground, having been propelled by the force of Jean's punch. She felt dizzy, and touched her face numbly with her hand. It felt as if the skin on under her eye burning and it hurt like hell.

Oh, sure, Aimee had been pushed, lots of times, sometimes even knocked to the ground. She been slapped once, but she'd retailed with a punch, and that's when a teacher had intervened and she'd gotten detention. That had been the only time she'd actually hit someone else. And she'd been, what, 7 years old?

But never once in her life had Aimee received such a blow to the face as hard as Jean-Pierre had done. She'd never even _been_ punched.

So Aimee was very confused and very, very pained in the face. And before she knew it, Charlie and Jean-Pierre were rolling around on the ground, hitting and kicking each other so fast Aimee had to blink several times to register the information in her head that there was an actual brawl breaking out.

At first, Charlie was the one pinning Jean to the ground. And then, Jean punched Charlie hard on the nose, causing him to flinch, and Jean took advantage, rolling over until he had Charlie under him. Aimee clutched her wand, unsure of what to do. On one hand, she wanted to help. On the other, she doubted Charlie would appreciate her butting in on _his_ fight. She hesitated, still on the ground.

Charlie responded by kicking Jean off him with a grunt, and getting up quickly, but then, Jean-Pierre rammed his foot into the back of Charlie's knees and he fell again. Jean-Pierre took the opportunity to pin Charlie to the ground with one hand and a knee, and the other hand reached for…

A rock the size of Aimee's outstretched hand.

Aimee stood, swaying a bit at first, to make sure Jean-Pierre didn't, well, crush that rock into Charlie's skull and kill him the Neanderthal way.

But one of the boys took a handful of her long hair and pulled.

"You aren't going anywhere," He growled threateningly. Aimee let a cry out, he had her really firmly by the hairs on her scalp. Aimee swerved her head in the direction of the fight, trying to get a glimpse of whatever may be going on, praying that Jean-Pierre hadn't yet pulverized Charlie's head.

But she shouldn't have feared. Charlie fought with such anger and hatred against Jean-Pierre, that before Jean-Pierre had even time to swing the rock at him, Charlie knocked Jean off him and now had his hand against Jean's neck. Jean's face was red, he couldn't breathe and was spluttering, and his hands struggled feebly against Charlie's strong hold on him.

The boy who had had his hold on Aimee let her go, sending her flying onto the ground a second time. She landed hard and felt her elbow scrape against a rock.

Aimee looked up just in time to see the two boys that had held Charlie earlier attempt to knock Charlie off. She shook her hair out of her face.

"Charlie, stop it!" Aimee screamed, her voice raised in a panicked note, still sprawled on the ground. Charlie did not loosen his hold. Jean was spluttering now, his movements were getting weaker. Aimee had never seen Charlie like this. She'd never thought his good-humored personality would ever erupt into something so…

Murderous.

"Stop it, Charlie! _STOP IT_!" Aimee shrieked. Her heart started thumping wildly and she was more scared than ever. What if Charlie actually strangled Jean-Pierre to death?

His back was to her and Jean's head was lolling back with feeble movements.

"Stop it, Charlie, you'll kill him!" Aimee screamed hysterically. Why did Charlie not realize this? Did he really want to kill Jean-Pierre?

And then Charlie let go of Jean-Pierre, and except for Jean's coughing and spluttering, all that could be heard was Aimee's hard breathing, dangerously close to tears.

He eyed her wearily, unsure of what to say.

"You're scaring me, Charlie," Aimee said softly, and she stood slowly, staring at him.

Charlie looked at her, and gave sort of exasperated groan. Then he got up and walked over to her.

"Let's go. Aimee," He said shortly, and grabbed her above the elbow and steered her away. Aimee let him drag her away, and she breathed hard. She felt paler than normal and dazed. Her hands made weak movements to remove Charlie's firm grip on her upper arm, but she was so shocked by what she'd seen that her attempts were too feeble.

"You know, next time, you won't be killing _me_, Houston," Jean-Pierre called after them weakly as he lay on the ground, a hand massaging his neck. It had red marks on them where Charlie's hands had held him tightly.

"You'll end up killing _her_ one day."

Aimee didn't need to look Jean-Pierre to know who he was talking about. She turned to look at Charlie, whose usually handsome features had hardened with anger. Then Charlie shook his head in disgust, and pulled Aimee away.

"I know, Houston," Jean-Pierre's voice floated threateningly in their direction, "It isn't so hard to figure out what you're hiding."

Charlie stopped dead. His hand left Aimee arm and he turned to Jean-Pierre's figure lying on the ground. He looked ready to strangle him and if Aimee hadn't taken his arm and pulled, maybe he would have. As they walked away, Aimee heard jean-Pierre laughing.

_You'll end up killing her one day. _

The words echoed in Aimee's head, and they made her uneasy. As they emerged from the woods she let go of Charlie's arm as if it had suddenly grown hot and burnt her hand. They walked towards the castle in silence.

Finally Charlie stopped her and looked at her for the first time since the ordeal, but his eyes stayed on hers a few seconds and he looked away.

"I'm sorry you had to witness that," He said quietly. Aimee didn't say anything. He looked up at her again.

"Things have been that way for a long time, Aimee. We get into fights and stuff, and we always hurt each other a lot," Charlie continued, "So don't ask me not to hurt him again."

Suddenly, as if these words had set her aflame, she stopped and turned to Charlie angrily.

"_Hurt_ each other? You almost killed him!" She snapped louder than she meant to. Charlie looked at her wearily.

"I don't know what came over you, but you certainly didn't seem like you actually minded _killing_ him!" Aimee continued in disgust, her voice getting louder.

"Look, Aimee-" Charlie started to say, but she cut him off.

"What is _wrong_ with you? What I just saw was _not_ the Charlie I know, that was like some kind of demon took over your body and you almost just _murdered_ somebody!" Aimee screamed at him. She'd started breathing hard again. "And I'd _hate_ you if you were to become a murderer!"

The words hung in th air like a threat. Hot tears started to prickle her eyes and Aimee swore under her breath and wiped underneath her eyes with the back of her hand.

"I'm _not_ going to become a murderer, Aimee," Charlie said calmly, and he reached up and wiped a stray tear off Aimee's cheek with his thumb. Aimee slapped his hand away and took a step back.

"Oh, really?" Aimee said coldly, her shoulders shaking in anger, "Then what would have happened if I hadn't been there, screaming at you to stop? You probably would have killed him, Charlie. I'm sure, because I just saw what you're capable of, and it seems that maybe what Jean-Pierre said was _true_!"

Charlie's face hardened at this.

"So you're going to believe Smith over what he said? You think I'll really end up killing _you_?" Charlie asked angrily, gesturing at her as if the very thought of it was ridiculous. Smething flashed in his eyes, but only for a second, and Aimee was sure she'd seen hurt behind his dark eyes.

"_I don't know_!" Aimee's voice cracked, and she used her wrist to wipe her face again madly, "I've never _seen_ you like that! That just threw me off and I don't even _know_ you anymore!"

Charlie stared at her, then massaged his temples and groaned.

"Damn it," He said quietly, lowering his hands. Aimee sniffed, her chest rising as she breathed hard.

"Look, Aimee, I'm sorry I scared you like that. I swear, it's not like me to go around doing, well, those sorts of things. It's just that this time, things were bit more rough than usual, and he also hit you very hard, and I was really, really mad that he'd just abuse you like that," Charlie explained, stepping closer, and didn't even avoid eye contact. Aimee hesitated.

"I am sorry," he added sincerely, and then hugged her, suprising her at the gesture. She inexplicably felt her heart skip a beat. Aimee slowly put her arms around him and nodded into his shoulder. They stood like that, arms around each other for a few moments

And after a while, they headed back to the castle.

_You'll end up killing _her_ one day._

Aimee pushed the words out of her head. Jean-Pierre was wrong. Charlie wasn't a killer.

**A/N: This started out as one of my favorite dramatic chapters. When I wrote it, I was really pleased with myself. It had turned out so well. But then I re-read it, like, a week later, and I realized it was a bit too dramatic. Like, Aimee started crying hard when Charlie was killing Jean-Pierre. I didn't like it and decided Aimee wasn't the type to start crying at that, only get scared, so I took that out and lots of other bits, too. **

**And then I made the mistake of reading it again. **

**Oh, boy. It was like a bad scene in a movie. I didn't like it at all. So I edited what I could and tried my best to push it into the direction I'd had in mind. **

**Why I can never get it right, I do not know…**

**Anyway, this was a really big chapter for me, so I'd like you all to review to really tell what you thought. I mean, did you really feel what Aimee was feeling? Were you like, WTF at Charlie doing anything like that or at the weirdness of the chapter?**

**Tell me, **_**really**_**, what you think. Tell me my mistakes if you think I have any. If you think it was really good, not just entertaining-good, but like, really, really well written, then please, do tell. Review. **


	22. The Slumber Party

**A/N: I thought this was an adorable chapter. Anyway, I'm pretty dissapointed with you guys. I mean, I post, and I get back one review? (Thanks, chocoluvr!) Come on. I used to get at least 10 a few months ago, before the hiatus. I know y'all are still reading it, this story has, like, 18 alert story thingies. You're just too lazy, people! So, how about this, you guys review, and I'll be happy with 4 reviews and update, ok? Come on. It's just four reviews. Every chapter is, like, 12 pages long or something. So anyway, enjoy, and don't forget to review!**

"Sit still," Aimee ordered, putting more of the alcohol-smelling substance onto the piece of cotton. She pressed it again to Charlie's forehead, and he flinched.

"Do you really have to smack me so hard with that thing?" Charlie complained. Aimee removed her hand, and peered at the opening.

"It can get infected," She replied shortly. Aimee had always kept a first-aid kit in her room, and now was the time to use it. After going back to the castle, they figured they couldn't go to the infirmary, seeing as how the nurse was a very questioning lady and would figure out there'd been a fight.

"Aren't you worried about that black eye you'll wake up tomorrow with?" Charlie asked, closing one eye uncomfortably and trying to watch Aimee as she put a gauze over the cut on his forehead and tape it there with some sort of special tape.

Aimee peeled her eyes away form his 'wound' as Charlie had called it melodramatically and turned to look at the mirror.

"Oh, I'm _mortified_," Aimee whined. There was already a dark purple splotch forming underneath her eye. It wasn't hurting too much, only that she felt a constant, never-ending ache on her face that she had grown used to. Charlie chuckled.

"You're too self-conscious," He said in an amused tone.

"It's a girl thing," Aimee said, sighting as if it was a curse. She reached into the first aid kit box and withdrew a cream, untwisting the cap and squirting the transparent-yellowish healing cream on her finger.

"What's _that_ for?" Charlie asked, eyeing the cream wearily.

"It's for bruises," Aimee answered, leaning to him and applying it on a nasty dark purple spot on his jaw. Charlie waited unmoving until she had finished.

Aimee busied herself screwing the cap back on, but when she looked up, she realized Charlie was watching her. She stared back into his eyes.

She had never really realized that Charlie's eyes weren't just brown. They were a very nice shade of dark greenish-brown, flecked with a tad bit of gold, Aimee decided.

Then, Aimee realized how close their faces were, their noses almost touching. She felt her cheeks flush and, averting her gaze, busied herself putting the cream back in its box. Charlie cleared his throat and looked away too.

And then the door of the girl's dorm room flew open and in walked Adelaide, carrying an armful of parchment, quills, and books, and grumbling to herself.

And then she saw Aimee and Charlie sitting closely together, their faces inches apart.

"Um, what are you doing here, Charlie?" Adelaide asked uncertainly, standing confusedly next to the open door.

"Uh," Aimee began, but Adelaide's eyes fell upon the first aid kit and she noticed the gauze on the left of his forehead.

"What the hell _happened_?" Adelaide gasped at once, striding over and dumping her things on Aimee's bed, looking from Charlie to Aimee and back to Charlie as if staring at them would provide her with information.

"I practiced a bit after you guys left, and I got hit by a stray bludger," Charlie lied, and he said it so casually and tiredly that Aimee almost believed him herself.

"A _bludger_ smashed your face in like that?" Adelaide asked incredulously, eyebrows raised. It was obvious she doubted him.

"It was pretty dark out," Charlie said sheepishly, and Aimee was impressed by how well he acted like it had been an accident, "And the infirmary was closed, I suppose the nurse went to dinner, and Aimee told me she had the first aid kit so I came here and she got me a bit fixed up."

"Oh… kay," Adelaide said slowly, narrowing her eyes at them. His explanation was pretty convincing.

"Well, I better get going. I've still got that essay to do," Charlie said, and walked to the door, "Thanks, anyway, Aimee," he said, and left.

Adelaide picked her things of Aimee's bed and watched the door close with a smirk on her face. Then she headed to her own bed and dumped her things there, shooting Aimee a sly grin.

"It wasn't…" Aimee started, at loss of words to describe what she thought Adelaide thought she had seen, "what you think."

"Sure," Adelaide said lightly, the sly grin on her face never faltering. Aimee pursed her lips together, trying not to blush.

"I'm serious," She said.

"Ok," Adelaide agreed casually, jumping on her bed and opening a book.

"I mean it," Aimee insisted.

"Mm-hmm," Adelaide said with the same infuriating disbelieving tone, opening a book, the annoying grin still on her face.

_Man, I'm really bad at persuading people. _

Aimee sighted, giving up on the matter, and flopped on her bed. She couldn't help thinking about the seconds just before Adelaide had rudely banged open the door. He'd been staring at her, and she'd stared right back until they'd looked away.

_It was probably nothing. _

But as Aimee reached a hand into her book bag, she couldn't help grinning.

* * *

At breakfast the next day, Aimee sat eating her cereal, wearing a whole lot of make-up. The black eye was still visible, though, and Aimee said that she had woken up sometime at dawn and smacked herself on the bedpost accidentally.

Too bad she was really, really bad at lying. The good thing was that she was good at keeping secrets. Adelaide may suspect, but she'd never know the truth.

Charlie entered the Grande Salle and plopped on a seat next to Benji, who had propped a text book against the bread basket and was reading it intently, apparently studying for a future test.

"Morning," Charlie said to them all in general, and began piling French toast on his plate.

Aimee only smiled back, then hastily tried to cover it up by shoving a spoonful of Cheerios into her mouth.

It worked. Somewhat.

* * *

Apparently, the three houses teams would have a match with each other in friendly games, to practice. The first was of the houses of Eugene and Arnaud, so Aimee was quite disappointed to hear that any upcoming match in which she'd participate would be at least weeks away.

She did have a match to look forward to that Saturday morning, though, and 'analyze their strategies' as Charlie put it. Aimee had to roll her eyes at that one.

"I've been stressing too much lately," Adelaide said, pouting at her Arithmancy book as she sat on a comfy sofa of the common room. It was pretty late, and only a few people remained that were not in a semi-comatose state while they snored in one of the couches. Like, say, that bloke from 6th year who was lying down on the couch next to Aimee and Adelaide, looking like one of those homeless people who sleep on benches, and with his mouth wide open, drooling like a dog that had just drunk a bowlful of water.

"Haven't we all?" Aimee murmured back in general agreement, not really paying attention to Adelaide. She was studying for tomorrow's Arithmancy test, trying to ignore the neighboring student's snores. Addie suddenly smiled and turned to Aimee.

"I say we need a slumber party," Adelaide declared with all the confidence of the world.

"A slumber party?" Aimee repeated flatly, lowering her book so that only her eyes were visible, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah. You see, it's practically a sacred ritual or something around here, because the 7th year girls have been doing it ever since we were in 1st year," Adelaide explained, putting her quill to her mouth, "How about this Friday night?"

"But a slumber party won't be much fun here, we all sleep in the dormitory so it'll be the same, we'd just stay up late and we'd still have to be quiet so as not to wake the other girls," Aimee said.

Adelaide grinned the annoying I-know-all sly grin of hers. Aimee remembered Adelaide saying once that it was that sly grin that got every boy's attention. Another comment Aimee seldom rolled her eyes at.

"That's where the traditional part comes in," Adelaide leaned in to Aimee conspirationally, "You don't think that the three houses' dormitories are all there is to it, do you?"

Aimee's face lit up. "Oohhh…" She said, her eyes shining with excitement.

"Exactly. This school invited kids from all of Europe, not just France, so it used to be bigger. Now, though… there are some extra dormitories," Adelaide said with satisfaction, "So, the planification for _Operation Slumber Party_ has begun."

"Slumber Party?" Sophie piped up from behind Adelaide, looking exhausted from staying up so late studying, "Oh, it'll be the first this year! Count me in!" Then she shuffled off, yanking Corinne awake. She'd been using the couch as a bed and her open book as a pillow.

"Corinne, Corinne! We're having a slumber party this Friday!" Sophie sqwacked excitedly to her, and Corinne's eyes blinked a few times before she realized she was drooling on her book.

"Really?" She asked sleepily. There were page marks on her face where she had laid her head on the book.

"Uh-huh!" Sophie said, nodding happily and turned to Adelaide and Aimee, "Ok, so what time do we meet? And what should we bring? Ooh, I hope we do the manicure and pedicure thing again! Oh, my god, we _soooo_ have to bring brownies again this time!" She gabbed so fast that Aimee had to blink several times before understanding what Sophie had actually said.

"I say we discuss it tomorrow at breakfast with the girls, since half of them are asleep," Corinne said sleepily, sitting up, "So, we have to bring music, food, manicure and pedicure supplies, hair grooming supplies, blankets, pillows, and a _whole_ lotta gossip." She smiled as if remembering the good times.

Sophie squealed excitedly and slammed her book a little louder than necessary. "Oh, we haven't planned a Slumber Party since, like, last November. I can't wait for Friday!" She paused as she picked up her books. "Oh, I can't sleep now, I won't concentarate enough on homework. Well, good night, girls!" And then she hopped off to the dormitory.

Aimee closed her book and decided to do as Sophie had done and go to bed. She was much too excited and too sleepy to study now. "Good night," she said to Corinne and Adelaide, and headed to the dormitories.

* * *

"So _this_ is the famous extra dormitory?" Aimee asked, looking around the room. It was slightly smaller than theirs, but it was ok, since all the girls had brought sleeping bags, blankets, and pillows to sleep on the floor.

"Yep," Adelaide said happily. She dropped her blanket and pillow on the floor and kneeled down to accommodate them to resemble a somewhat flat bed. Then she rummaged through her bag, taking out food she had snuck out from dinner earlier that evening.

"I brought brownies, I brought brownies!" Sophie sang, prancing into the room, swinging around a plate with said food. "Who has all he manicure and pedicure stuff?"

"I do," Gaelle called, taking out nail polish of various colors, some of which Aimee wouldn't ever let on her toenails. There was even a magical one that changed colors, and a purple-and-blue striped nail polish, and then a red-and-shite checkered blanket. Aimee wondered why on earth anyone would want their toes or hands to look like a picnic blanket.

"I get dibs on the first pedicure," Corinne said, waving her hand around. She turned to Gaelle and she wrinkled her nose as she saw all the manicure and pedicure stuff sitting beside her.

"Gaelle, why do you have orange nail polish? And the most hideous shade of orange, too!"

Gaelle smacked Corinne on the shoulder and sarcastically said, "So I can paint the faces of people who question me about said nail polish in the middle of the night."

"Such a lovely color, Gaelle. Nice choice of nail polish!"

Half an hour later, the five girls were settled around a circle, with bowlfuls of popcorn, chips, vegetables (such as carrots and cucumber, brought by Corinne, a veggie maniac), cookies, and a plate of brownies, half of which had mysteriously disappeared down Sophie's throat. _How suspicious_, Aimee thought sarcastically.

"Wanna know a secret?" Aimee said lazily up to Corinne as she massaged her temples. Aimee's face was covered with a green pasty substance and her eyes were closed. "I've never really had a facial before," She stretched her hand out and felt around for the vegetable bowl, then reached into it and extracting three pieces of cucumber.

"Really?" Corinne asked, tucking a small peice of wavy hair behind Aimee's ear, then added dryly, "You know, Aimee, that cucumber is for _eating_." She watched as Aimee grinned and placed two pieces of cucumber over her eyes.

"I know," Aimee chirped, and popped the last piece of cucumber in her mouth. Corinnne laughed softly and rolled her eyes.

"You have a very shrewd idea of facials, Aimee," Corinne replied, shaking her head. Aimee had to agree.

* * *

The sound of the screaming, cheering crowds was deafening. Aimee was glad she'd worn a hat to block out most of the noise. It was enough to keep her awake, seeing as she'd had only about 3 hours worth of good sleep last night.

"You'd think it was a real match," Benji grumbled to Aimee, "What with all this noise. I don't see what they're all so excited about. The match doesn't count for anything."

"I know," Aimee said through mid-yawn. Benji threw her a skeptical look.

"When did you _really_ go to sleep?" Benji asked, eyebrows raised.

"I dunno," Aimee murmured, rubbing her eye, "Sometime around five, maybe." She looked at the hand she'd used for rubbing and groaned. "God, that stupid purple liner still hasn't come off!"

"Liner?" Benji said with raised eyebrows.

"Make-up," Adelaide put in sleepily, leaning across Aimee to look at Benji.

"Does it look _too_ bad? I mean, I must look like such a weirdo with purple-lined eyes, and the black eye still hasn't completely gone," Aimee whined, searching her pockets for a hand mirror, "And then staying up late doesn't help at all."

"Hate to tell you this, but… You look like a panda," Benji informed her, grinning. Aimee glared and turned to Adelaide, "Do I?" She whined at her.

"Do you what?" Adelaide repeated in a dazed voice, her eyes glued to the game. She obviously hadn't paid attention to the conversation.

"Look like a panda," Aimee said again.

"No, Aimee, of course not," Adelaide said, and then took a bite of her toast. She chewed two times and then stopped mid-chew, forgetting for a second there was toast in her mouth, and staring at the game as if hypnotized. Both Benji and Aimee stared in disgust at the piece of bread sticking out of her mouth.

"You didn't even look at me," Aimee accused, leaning to get Adelaide to look at her.

"Ok," Adelaide said in a soft, hypnotized sort of voice. Suddenly, the crowd screamed as one of the chasers scored against Jean-Pierre's team. Adelaide and Charlie stomped their feet and cheered with the other students. Aimee was too tired to cheer and she was feeling cranky.

"Panda," Benji whispered to Aimee. She smacked him on the arm playfully. "Oh, shush. That's the last time I'll ever ask for your opinion."

"But that doesn't mean I won't express my opinion whenever I want," Benji reminded her. Aimee shot him a mock-glare, and turned her attention to the game, where Jean-Pierre was yelling at his keeper.

"Looks like _someone's_ cranky today," Aimee commented slyly, giving Benji a sideways glance and they both grinned. Once Jean-Pierre seemed satisfied at the cowering keeper he swooped away to his position, beater bat in hand. He looked ready to whack someone on the head with that thing, judging by the killer look in his eye.

Aimee watched as Jean-Pierre swooped down on a bludger and swung his bat angrily at it. The bludger flew in the opposite direction and smashed into the opponent chaser's back, knocking him off his broom and the quaffle he'd been holding was dropped. The crowd gasped as he clung to his broom with only one hand. Aimee covered her mouth with both her hands. "Oh, no, he's going to fall!" She gasped.

The chaser reached out with his other hand and grasped his broom. Jean-Pierre, who was flying somewhere nearby grinned with malice and flew off in search of another bludger to fulfill another diabolical deed on his list. Aimee watched as the chaser finally managed to get on his broom again, and the crowd cheered.

"I would've fallen and broken every bone if that had been me," Aimee said in awe.

"Nah. He wouldn't dare try knock you off your broom," Charlie said, speaking for the first time. He wasn't looking at her, his eyes were glued to the game and Aimee could tell only half his attention was on her.

"Why not?" Aimee asked, puzzled.

"Because you're Aimee Potter. God knows you'd have a vengative brother with lots of curses handy if that were to happen. Not too mention the boys in our house would kill him." Charlie proved his point rather strangely by seizing Adelaide's wrist, dragging it to his mouth and taking a violent bite out of her toast. Adelaide, whose eyes were still on the game, did not appear to have noticed.

"Oh." Aimee said, blinking, thinking it over.

"Bet you'd be first in line, wouldn't you, Charlie?" Benji chuckled. Aimee felt her face grow hot.

"Obviously. Then I'd have a really good reason to beat the crap out of him good this time," Charlie replied, ripping another piece of toast from Adelaide's hand, which had been hovering in the exact same place Charlie had left it, and popping it into his mouth.

"Not exactly the answer I was looking for, but ok," Benji said lightly, and both Charlie and Aimee looked at him. "What?" Benji sqwacked innocently. Charlie narrowed his eyes but looked away from then and turned to the game. Aimee sat back, her heart thumping madly.

It was at that moment Adelaide decided to swallow her the toast that had been drowning in her saliva and have another bite, but then she noticed the huge shark-like bit on her toast and the tiny piece left in her hand and scowled first at her toast, and then at Charlie, who was still chewing Adelaide's toast unperturbed.

* * *

"Isn't that Aimee's owl?" Harry asked, pointing towards the piece of parchment attached to the owl's leg. Hermione grabbed the letter with one hand andfed the owl a piece of her sandwich with the other, and it flapped off.

"It is indeed," Hermione answered, opening the letter.

"What's it say?" Ron asked through a mouthful of toast, craning his neck to see. Hermione read aloud.

_Hey guys,_

_I'm just writing so you'd know what I've been doing lately, you know? _

_Last night the girls in my dorm had a slumber party. It was really cool. I'm so tired today, I slept at about 5 in the morning. We gave each other manicures and pedicures, and ate lots of junk that I know I'm going to regret in a couple of hours during dinner as I stare at my calorie-full dinner, wishing I hadn't eaten so many cookies and brownies and cupcakes and stuff. The guilt will kill me. So don't worry if you receive a suicidal letter later on today. Of course, Sophie will be even guiltier. I haven't seen anybody choke down so many brownies and cupcakes in such a short span of time. It's amazing, you should have seen those brownies disappear like magic! It was like watching Ron eat but only a lot more feminine and less disgusting. And you know, minus the noises Ron makes when he eats, you know._

"I do not make noises while I eat!" Ron interrupted indignantly, but both Harry and Hermione shushed him.

_Anyway, we had a karaoke contest (in which Adelaide won because she cheated and started vocalizing all beautifully and perfectly and won the votes of her thousand admirers. Well, at least the other three girls, anyway.) and then somehow the boys managed to find out about the slumber party (I'm guessing someone _coughCorinnecough_ who has a boyfriend with a certain twin brother _coughJacquescough_ who likes a certain girl (Here imagine an angelic chorus breaking out and singing ADELAIDE ADELAIDE) and wanted to see her in her pajamas. Damn boys.) and crashed the party._

_I'm just glad I had taken the green goo (I got a facial! I got a facial!) off my face before they arrived. The Shrek jokes would have been endless. We made a deal with them and let them stay if we could take one of the boys and give him a makeover (as in make-up. Who knew Gaelle had brought her handy-dandy rainbow-colors eye shadow kit?). Poor David was brutally tied up to a chair and the torture started with a green-goo facial. I would have felt sorry for him if I hadn't been too busy selecting eye shadow colors for his darling eyes. _

_Finally we shooed the boys out because it was already past 1AM and we wanted to get to the good make-over stuff. All the girls decided that we would put on make up that we normally wouldn't put on, and it was so much fun. _

_I decided to go for a violet eye shadow and eye liner, and the result was that my green eyes seemed to pop out more than usual and that I looked like a drug addict. I tried on white lipstick afterwards and I looked like one heck of a weirdo. I even scared myself when I looked in the mirror, to put it simply._

_So, there you have it, _mes cheris_ (That's FRENCH). We stayed up the rest of the night playing all sorts of games that involved cards; Continental, Poker, Cashcarrier, Go Fish, Pig, you name it. It was hilarious. _

_The only bad part was that we all forgot to clean the make up off and I woke up looking like I'd been dead for a month, what with the purple eye shadow and liner getting all over and under my eyes like bags. You know, the I-haven't-slept-in-5-days-in-a-row look. Seriously, the panda face is not for me. _

_Oh, and there was some sort of friendly game between the two houses of Eugene and Arnaud. I didn't get to play, though, since our game isn't going to be anytime soon. Remember that hateful creep I told you about, that Jean-Pierre guy? His team won. That means his team will go against our team next game. But I'm not worried. We'll win. Hopefully. _

_Say hi to everyone for me!_

_Aimee._

**A/N: And end to this chapter! Please review, it makes me update faster. I remember to update when I see the reviews. So, please, review. I'm only asking for 4 reviews. Three, even, only three would be fine. Tell me what you thoughht of the chapter and the slumber party!**


	23. Quidditch Practice

**A/N: Hope you enjoy!**

"Come on, we have to start practicing harder if we want to beat the crap out of those ba-"

"CHARLIE! Language!"

"Right. Little girl in sight. Got it, Addie."

"Little girl? _Little_ girl? What am I, _six_ years old? You don't think I've heard all he obscene language you use often, _captain_?"

"Well, at your age, I knew quite a bit, but seeing as you're a girl-"

"_Girl_? What's _that_ got to do with it?"

"Nasty little one, aren't you?"

"Charlie, leave her alone. Camille, don't listen to him. He's just stressed-"

"Stressed? ME? Why should _I_ be stressed? I've got nothing to stress about, Aimee."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Ok, then, we'll see about how stresses you are tomorrow night when you realize that the extremely complicated Transfiguration essay is due the next day."

"We have a transfiguration essay?"

"Aha. I thought captains of the Quidditch team were supposed to get good grades to be able to stay as captains."

"Shut up, you little-"

"CHARLIE! Language!"

"Sorry, Addie."

"Sorry just ain't gonna cut it. Next I hear you say even the tiniest thing, I'm gonna spell-o-tape your mouth closed, _got it_?"

"Yes, Adelaide."

"Good. I'm glad you have that in mind, Charlie. Now give me that quaffle."

"Here."

"Thank you. Come on, Aimee. We have to practice."

"Ok."

"Shouldn't you be at the posts?"

"So now _you're_ bossing me around?"

"Well…"

"Just go look for that damn snitch."

"Language, Charlie…"

"That's _captain_ to you, pipsqueak. No go look for that _damn_ snitch!"

"Ok! No need to throw insults! _God_. When Addie hears about this…"

"So you're in cahoots with her now?! Yeah, you better fly off!… Why that- _friggin_'- _little_-"

"Aren't you supposed to be at the posts? I alone just scored about 60 points."

"How nice, Jacques. I was just scolding that little… _girl_, if you could call her that, because she just can't _ever_ manage to catch the snitch. I knew I never should've let that _thing_ on the team. Stop laughing, Jacques. You know that that underneath that 'cute' face, as Aimee seems to like calling her, is a freakin' scaly little monster just waiting to come out and eat people. Come on, let's get back to the game."

* * *

"I had no idea Charlie was this paranoid about the game. It's _just_ a game, _not_ a tournament," Aimee said. She dropped herself tiredly over an armchair, legs sticking out of one side and her head leaning out the other. "I'm so tired. It's been practice, practice, and practice every single day of the week for the last two weeks." 

"That's Charlie to you," Adelaide told her, shrugging. "You know how he is. Once he sets his mind about something, he must get it, even if it means dragging everyone else along, too."

"I know," Aimee groaned, "Where is he anyway?"

"Guess."

Aimee straightened herself and looked at the slouching Adelaide draped over the couch like a blanket. "At the gymnasium again? Oh, come on. There's no way he could still have any energy left to go lift some 500-pound weights after a two-hour practice!"

"You wanna know why his battery never runs out?" Adelaide started, and motioned lazily with her fingers for Aimee to move closer. Aimee swung her head back even more until her face was completely upside down, although this position was no closer to Adelaide than the one before. "Coffee." And Aimee burst out laughing. Adelaide chuckled along.

"You're absolutely right. He's such a Coffee maniac, it's amazing," Aimee said as the last of the laughter drained out.

"If you ask me, I think he stashes cups of coffee from breakfast in his room to drink after any energy-draining practice like the one we just had," Adelaide said.

"I know." Aimee murmured lazily, and closed her tired eyes. "What time is it?"

"About nine, I'd say," Adelaide said with a yawn.

"You have a watch. _Look at it_," Aimee suggested dryly.

There was a pause as Adelaide lifted her wrist and checked the time on her watch. "Oh. Quarter to nine."

"I still have to do homework." Aimee groaned. "I don't _want_ to!"

"Who _does_?" Adelaide shrugged. She paused. "Apart from Benji. But he doesn't count."

"Tired, girls?" A sly voice said behind Aimee. Or at least, the armchair, since Aimee was pretty much lying all over it. She turned her head to look at Charlie, looking very sweaty.

"Don't touch me. You're all gross and sweaty so don't bother trying to shove me out of my armchair, like that_ other _time," Aimee told him wryly.

"Grumpy much?" Charlie asked with humor in his voice. Aimee couldn't believe it. He actually managed to be in a good mood even after 5 straight hours of nonstop exercise? Was that actually physically possible?

"Maybe," Aimee growled. Charlie seized one of her dangling sneakered feet and yanked, causing Aimee's legs to swing over the armrest and to the floor, putting her in a very strange-looking twisted position.

"Hey!" Aimee said indignantly as he strode away. He just looked back at her once and grinned cheekily at her, then disappeared into the boy's dorm room. Aimee dumped her head back and slung her feet back over the armrest like before.

"Has he ever not done something you've asked him not to do?" Aimee said lazily, "Because now my foot is icky with _his_ sweat dripping all over it."

* * *

"There's a bug in my cereal," Adelaide said, wrinkling her nose as she squinted at her spoon. 

"Another omen!" Benji gasped in a scandalized tone, smacking his wrist against his forehead. .

"Oh, shut up," Aimee muttered. She regretted ever confessing about being nervous of her first match to Benji. She'd thought that discussing her fears rationally with the one person that was not going to sqwack at her for being so cowardly about it would actually offer some helpful advice an not fill her head with stupid omen stuff.

Aimee chomped down on her fork and swallowed her scrambled eggs and watched Charlie as he spread butter on his toast. He was being pretty quiet, she thought.

"Hey guys," Jacques said as he sat down with them and grinned at Adelaide. "Ready for the match?"

'We're gonna kick their ass," Adelaide answered back, holding the spoon with the bug on it and dumping it on Benji's napkin, while smiling charmingly at Jacques.

"You're certainly confident," Charlie commented, grinning.

"Gross. Take your bug and your cornflakes and give it to somebody who wants them," Benji said, and lifted the soggy napkin, then dropped it on Adelaide's plate. Aimee grimaced at the noisy SPLAT and put down her next forkful of eggs. She didn't feel like eating anymore.

"Are _you_?" Adelaide continued as if her drowned insect had not just been brutally killed. Charlie grinned maliciously and a sort of glint appeared in his eyes, like the one during his fight with Jean-Pierre.

"I'm just sorry I'm not a beater to beat the crap out of that bastard."

Aimee was once again reminded of the words Jean-Pierre ha sai to them just a few weeks back.

* * *

October 28

I haven't written in a long time. But whatever. I've been really busy what with all of the practices an such. Well, today was the big game. We almost won, both teams had scored about 150 points each until the other team's Seeker caught the snitch, and let me tell you, Charlie was _pissed_. That loss was a big stain on his man-pride or something. You should have seen Jean-Pierre going about gloating about it. That's when Charlie got seriously annoyed and set him on fire in commemoration to last year's events on the train. 

Oh, and I hexed him, too, since, well, he DID give me a black eye for a week, didn't he? 

Anyway, That's the reason why Monday night the three of us are stuck in detention, which is a bad idea, if you think about it, since all Charlie and Jean-Pierre will be doing is beating each other up. 

Anyway, back to the game. Camille would have caught that snitch if that guy, who was in 6th year, by the way, hadn't knocked her off her broom. That was fully cheating. Poor little Camille now has to deal with a very angry Charlie who needs to let off some steam. And what better way to do that than bully Camille?

I swear, Charlie has some anger management issues. 

But anyway, I saw Adelaide muttering some spells under her breath at Jean-Pierre, but she didn't get caught. It seems Benji was the only one mature enough not to jump into the fight right away. 

Well, I don't blame Charlie for trying to burn Jean-Pierre to a crisp, since Jean-Pierre, being a beater an all, very much like the idea of being able to whack an iron ball at people without getting detention. Not to mention he practically gave Camille a concussion that ONE time she almost caught the snitch. 

* * *

"That Monsieur Payot sure has it in for me," Charlie muttered angrily at Monday breakfast, "Do you _really_ think that we got assigned to cleaning the 5th year's Potion classrooms by _pure_ _coincidence_?" 

Aimee looked up from her scramble eggs and her eyes widened in fear. "We have to clean the 5th years Potions Classrooms?" Aimee said in a terrified whisper, "But I heard that that kid's explosion in that classroom was toxic! All the class had to stay in the infirmary for three whole days!"

"Never mind the infirmary thing. They still do smell like poo if you come at a 3 meter diameter," Adelaide said, leaning across the table conspirationally, her eyes darting to a passing fifth year student. He sat down at a table and several fourth years who'd been sitting there immediately got up and scurried away, holding their noses. The fifth year boy hung his head sadly and sat alone at the table while people in the neighboring tables moved off to other tables.

"That's the point of detention, Aimee," Charlie replied bitterly, "Locking you in a toxic classroom with that _thing_ people seem to believe is _human_." He nodded in the direction of Jean-Pierre's table.

"Oh, great. I heard the whole room was splattered with the dragon dung that the kid so intelligently dumped on his cauldron," Aimee said, biting her piece of toast in a savage way and kept talking with the piece of toast stored in her cheek, "Would you _believe_ what he said after that thing exploded? He said he'd thought it was actually _mashed bat's brain_. That's got to be the most _stupid_ lie I ever heard."

"If _I_ was ever dumb enough to dump the _whole_ jar of dragon poop over the Sleeping Draught potion, which, by the way, is ,like, number 2 on 'Most Reactive Potions', I'd have been able to make up a better lie than '_I thought it was mashed bat's brains_'. Puh-_lease_," Adelaide declared, rolling her eyes, "Bat's brains are not even on the ingredients list!"

The bell rang, and everyone looked around to see the last of the students shuffling away. The four of them stood up and started heading to their first class, DADA.

"Did you see the sign that was posted on the bulletin board this morning?" Adelaide asked suddenly in a sly voice.

"Which one?" Aimee asked ever so intelligently.

"The one about the Christmas ball," Adelaide said with a wide grin, "Are you going?"

Aimee's lips twitched into a smile, "Yep. So who are you going with?" Aimee said, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Me?" Adelaide replied innocently, placing her hand on her chest, "I'd be more worried about which of your thousand boyfriends you'll end up going with."

"My _thousand boyfriends_?" Aimee scoffed, "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Adelaide grinned wider, "You're Aimee Potter. You're famous. Any guy would ask you as fast as _that_ anytime now," She snapped her fingers as she said '_that_' to prove her point.

"So? I'll have plenty of options." Aimee shrugged, and then said in a sing song voice, "I know a guy who wants to go with you!"

But instead of an eye-widening and a squeal like Aimee hoped, Adelaide walked two fingers up Aimee's arm and shoulder, "And I know a guy who wants to go with _you_!"

"So? Who _doesn't_?" Aimee said, noticing she was sounding somewhat like Marianna. Adelaide started twirling around and doing little weird jumps as they walked down the hallway, "Oh, but this guy _really_ has a thing for you."

"Uh-huh," Aimee said, pretending she didn't care, but inside she was sort of interested in knowing more.

"Aimee and Anonymous, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Anonymous?" Aimee raised her eyebrows, "Uh, ok, Addie. Whatever you say."

Aimee should have known that when Adelaide had mentioned the thousand boyfriends, she should have taken it seriously, because that evening as she stormed into the common room, cheeks flushed red, the first thing that came out of her mouth was, "I can't believe that little twerp! The _nerve_!"

"What now?" Charlie asked tiredly, flipping through his textbook, as his idea of 'studying'.

"Remember that scrawny little fifth year who exploded the potions classroom?" Aimee said, trying to restrain herself from screaming.

"Yeah?"

"He actually had the nerve to ask me if I'd go to the ball with him!" Aimee said angrily, then turn to Charlie an said in a completely different tone, a dead calm one, "Can I take a bit of your parchment paper?"

Charlie looked sort of bewildered at this and nodded. "Sure. Help yourself." He watched as Aimee ripped a piece, then crumpled it violently into a little ball, and with a little shriek, she threw it in the fire. He was looking alarmed.

"But it was only a question he asked," Charlie said, furrowing his eyebrows, "I don't see why you should be so annoyed."

"Because," Aimee snapped, "That kid, whatever his name was, decided that sending me a message with one of his stupid, giggling _friends_ would be the best way to do it, and when I said 'No, thanks,', his friend actually started _begging_ me to go with him, since his friend _fancied me so much_!" Aimee finished in a scandalize tone, helping herself to another peice of parchment and chucking it at the fire as if imagining it was the kid's head.

Charlie started chuckling, an Aimee threw him a glare. "It's not funny! After that the friend actually called over his shoulder at the guy and yelled that I had said no! So the guy had been hiding somewhere there, the coward! _God! _How embarrasing!" She sat down hard on the sofa and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

By now, Charlie had started laughing, and Aimee shot him another angry look.

"Come on, Aimee, the guy tried."

"Oh, he tried, alright. But I suppose that maybe, just maybe, he would've thought about, oh, I don't know, the _two-year_ age difference, and a less immature way to ask me, and maybe not to ask me in a public place and embarras me like that, then _perhaps_ I wouldn't be so-"

"Hysterical?" Charlie interrupted, looking like he was enjoying Aimee's little rant.

"Annoyed," Aimee supplied coldly.

"So you're only accepting invitations from boys older than you?" Charlie asked, looking amused.

"Well, I'd rather." Aimee grumbled. "Or my age, at least. God, imagine going with a guy who's two years younger than you! Oh, and it's not like he's exceptionally tall. In fact, the guy is shorter than me. And what with the high heels I'll be wearing. God, I'd rather not go at all than go with that guy!"

"Yeah, ok." Charlie said in an amused voice.

"It's not funny," Aimee argued tightly.

"Sure it's not," Charlie answered in a tone that suggested that he was humoring her.

"It's not," Aimee said again, just to make sure Charlie heard.

"I heard you." He answered, flipping through his textbook again.

Aimee didn't say anything now, but she stood up, looking at her watch and commented; "Time to go clean up that little munchkin's poop mess."

Charlie wrinkled his nose and groaned.

"It isn't very funny now, is it?"

"I never _said_ it was," Charlie said as they both headed down to the Monsieur Payot's office.

"You were laughing," Aimee accused, pushing him playfully. They descended down the stairs.

"I was _not._"

"Monsieur Houston and Mademoiselle Potter," Monsieur Payot's voice said from within his office, "You're late."

"Oh. Sorry," Charlie apologized non-chantingly for them both, entering the office after Aimee. They both took a seat. Jean-Pierre was already there, sitting in another chair with his arms crossed and his feet up on M. Payot's table, who added to him, "Monsieur Smith, kindly take your feet off my table," at which he slowly lowered them, glowering at M. Payot hatefully.

"Now," Monsieur addressed all three of them now, "for your punishment you'll be cleaning the fifth year classroom, you'll be there two hours, but I will be checking on you every 20 minutes, so you better have that classroom sparkling clean by the time I get back. There are mops and sponges and everything else you need to do your job, so now get going."

The three of them stood up and M. Payot said nastily from behind his desk, "I'll need your wands first, though," and he twirled his own, and three wands flew from their pockets to his outstretched hand, "I need to make sure you'll do it _by hand_." He smiled slyly at them. "Dismissed."

Jean-Pierre all but stomped out of there ahead of them, completely ignoring them, and Charlie and Aimee walked together to the floor below them to the Potions Classrooms. Once there they found what they needed inside the closet cupboard, and they started scrubbing the floor, which was covered in a very suspicious-looking brownish green gooey substance, Charlie and Aimee talking in low voices in one corner of the room, and Jean-Pierre in the opposite corner in complete silence.

"I heard the kid who blew up this classroom asked you to the ball," Jean-Pierre suddenly said conversionally, but there was a snide tone in his voice, "You're going with him, right?"

"No," Aimee said gruffly, and scrubbed harder. Her cheeks started to turn red.

"Of course. Dorky dudes who screw things up are not your type, right?" Jean-Pierre continued in that voice that made Aimee feel like he was laughing at her internally.

"What do you know about my 'type', Smith?" Aimee said tiredly.

"I know who's _not_ your type." The way he said it made Aimee feel like he knew what he was talking about.

"Shut up, Smith," Charlie said in a hard voice, but Jean-Pierre just laughed.

They kept scrubbing in silence until Charlie hitched up another conversation and for the next two hours they talked until M. Payot announced they could leave, giving them their wands back, and as they were leaving Jean-Pierre pushed past them, smacking Charlie on the shoulder hard, who looked sort of annoyed by this. "Hopefully that disgusting smell you'll be carrying for the next few days will remind you not to get into fights," M. Payot said, making a face as if he were holding his breath.

Adelaide looked up at them as they entered, and started to say, "How'd it go?" but she interrupted herself and at mid-sentence and wrinkled her nose, saying, "Oh, GOD! You guys SMELL!" She stood up to distance herself from them.

"Come on, we don't smell that bad!" Aimee said, as she was not in a good mood.

"Of course you don't," Adelaide said in a sort of strangled voice as they came closer, "Well, I'm going to bed! Bye!" And then she positively fled to the girl's dorm room.

"Funny." Aimee deadpanned, narrowing her eyes.

**A/N: Please review! I'd like five reviews before I update. Tell me what you thought about the chapter, please!**


	24. A Tango Lesson

**A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update! Enjoy!**

Aimee chucked the rubber ball at Benji as hard as she could, but he ducked and it whizzed past his head. Aimee frowned. She still wasn't able to join the game until she hit another person.

They were playing dodgeball, and Aimee had been smacked with the ball on her thigh, so now she was out until she managed to hit someone else with the ball. She rubbed her thigh unconsciously and turned conversionally to Charlie, who was on the opposing team and was throwing a ball violently at Arthur. He jumped out of the way just in time and Charlie frowned.

"Planning on going with anybody to the Christmas ball?" Aimee asked him, and Charlie looked her way briefly before looking away again to catch a ball that was directed at him. "Oy, Arthur! You're out!" He shouted before looking back at Aimee.

"Nah, I haven't asked anybody," he said, shrugging, then swung his arm to throw the rubber ball again.

"Well, I desperately need a date to get off all those 6th and 5th year boys off me, so why don't we go together?" Aimee said this casually, she hoped that Charlie would think she was asking as a friend and because she needed an excuse to reject the two or three younger boys who'd she'd heard were planning on asking her. Charlie looked back at her after checking nobody was throwing anything at him.

"Yeah, sure, why not?"

"Okay," Aimee said and smiled at him. He smiled back, but Aimee's smile disappeared quickly as she said a bit too late, "Look out!" and a red rubber ball whacked against Charlie's head. He turned to scowl at Arthur, who hollered, "Out, Charlie!" and started jogging back to his place in the game. Charlie walked to the sidelines, where he was supposed to catch a ball and throw it at an opposing team member.

"Sorry!" Aimee called apologetically after him, and he gave her a sort of half-wave back. She grimaced and turned her attention back to the game, but she couldn't help but to feel satisfied. Now she had a date to the ball! She wasn't sure why she'd wanted to go with Charlie, but they were friends, and neither of them had dates, so… why not go with him?

Aimee refused to believe the nagging little voice in her brain that subconsciously told she'd asked Charlie for other reasons.

* * *

"I asked Charlie to the ball today," Aimee commented casually. She said this as she flipped the page of a book she was reading. 

"Really?" Adelaide said, she herself submerged in her own book. She'd started smiling. "How come?"

"I needed a date to have an excuse for the other guys," Aimee answered.

"But why Charlie? There are plenty of other guys out there. Arthur for example. _He's_ cute." Adelaide said, looking up from her book and stared at Aimee unblinkingly.

Aimee shrugged. "I dunno. Charlie and I get along better."

"Huh. Well, ok." Adelaide answered, but Aimee thought that the paranoid side of her said that Adelaide had a tone that suggested something. Aimee brushed it away went back to her book.

* * *

"There's going to be a choreographed waltz. Adelaide volunteered to sing." Aimee said casually as she sat down next to Charlie. 

"Ok." He said. Aimee thought for a second before adding, "I've always wanted to be part of a choreographed waltz."

"Uh-huh," Charlie answered. Aimee frowned. How much hinting did she have to go through?

"It's been practically my dream since I was little. You know, all the ballroom dancing and the dresses and stuff."

Charlie finally put his history book down and stared deadpan at Aimee. "Don't tell me. You need a partner."

Aimee grinned. "Yep." _Now_ he was catching on!

Charlie blinked at her and started to frown.

"Please?" Aimee pleaded, putting on her best puppy pout face, "Come on, it'll be fun!"

"I bet it won't be." Charlie muttered, and picked up his book,but Aimee grabbed his wrist so that his attention was on her.

"How bad can it be? Please, I'd really like to dance," Aimee said in a really sad voice. She attempted to widen her eyes more to look like wounded puppy, but any more widening and her eyes would probably pop out of her sockets like springs. She could feel too mch oxygen clouding around her bright green eyes already. Maybe if she trembled she'd look more helpless? She wondered if she'd have to resort to talking melodramatically for a couple of days before Charlie agreed.

"Fine," He sighed, and Aimee squealed. "Yes! Thanks, Charlie! It's also a good thing I already told Madame Dubois we'd be dancing!"

Charlie turned to look at her. "That thing you have for dancing? Yeah. It's obsessive." He turned back to his book, and Aimee ate her potatoes happily.

* * *

"How did you convince me to get into this thing?" Charlie muttered as Madame Dubois gabbed on and on about the art of waltzing. "Because right now? I'm not sure this was such a good idea." 

Aimee grinned. "I'm so excited! I've always wanted to do this!" She squealed, fidgeting a lot more than normal. Charlie sighed and checked his watch, scowling.

"Now, children, get into pairs, and I'll teach you the basics!" Madame Dubois trilled. There were practically stars shining in her eyes, she was as excited as Aimee. Aimee all but jumped on Charlie and smacked a hand on his shoulder and seized his hand, and he put his other hand on her waist. Aimee beamed at him, and Charlie was forced to give her back a resigned smile. They were going to dance!

"Now, Adelaide and Jeanine," Madame Dubois said, turning to Adelaide and another 5th year girl who was also singing. "You will be attending at different hours so I can teach you the song and how you'll sing it, alright? I'm also getting a few students to play instruments." She discussed the hour arrangements with them and then they were both dismissed.

"So, first, we shall play the music," Madame Dubois announced, and started the music on a recorder, and some waltz music came on. Madame Dubois started explaining what they were going to do and Aimee listened intently. Then, they were left to fend for themselves and Aimee and Charlie started swaying.

"So is this is what we're supposed to do?" Charlie said, frowning.

"I think we're supposed to tango," Aimee replied.

"Like this?" Charlie said, and he yanked Aimee roughly to the side. They started marching towards one side, hands thrust forward and heads leaning back in an exaggerated way. Aimee giggled and then he suddenly changed direction, almost knocking her down if they hadn't been holding each other. Other dancing couples were swaying back and forth in a less vigorous manner, but they were staring at them amusedly.

Once again they marched, and they both started laughing. Instead of making a sudden turn, though, Charlie whirled her around and his hand moved up to her lower back and he dipped her. Aimee found she could not stop giggling insanely. He dipped her so low her hair touched the floor and their faces were pretty close together.

"Aimee," Charlie began dramatically, "I have something to tell you." Aimee giggled much too girlishly for her own liking some more before she answered between giggles, "What is it?"

"My foot's slipping."

And all at once they went crashing down laughing hysterically, Aimee thudded against the floor and Charlie fell on her. Aimee wondered briefly why Charlie hadn't crushed her under his weight and found that he'd let go of her hand to support himself with it. Aimee found herself looking up at Charlie's eyes and their laughter subsided. His hand was still stuck under her. For a moment Aimee forgot that they were in a classroom chock full of staring students. That is until, Madame Dubois screeched, "MONSIEUR HOUSTON _ET_ MADEMOISELLE POTTER!' in a scandalized tone.

Much to Aimee's amusement, instead of jumping off and pleading for forgiveness, Charlie innocently said with a grin, "Yes?" as if he'd been caught studying for a test instead of kneeling that closely over a girl.

"OFF. NOW," Madame Dubois ordered imperiously to both of them, and Charlie hoisted himself up and grabbed Aimee's arm to help her up. Madame Dubois seemed even more annoyed when they both stood there happily as of nothing had happened. "Now," She said, continuing the lesson and eyeing Charlie and Aimee with beady eyes, "if you are all ready, we'll continue." She began talking again but Aimee wasn't listening.

"Sorry about that," Charlie said to her lightly, "Tangoing was never a talent of mine."

"Oh, that's ok," Aimee said, "Come on, she's looking at us dirtily." She reached for his hand and repositioned her free one on his shoulder, and Charlie placed his on her waist again. Madame Dubois was now explaining how the choreography was to begin and the first steps.

"You see that? She keeps staring at us." Charlie said in an accusatory voice, nodding towards Madame Dubois, who was demonstrating a twirl with a 6th year boy who looked like he wanted to get away from her and kept doing the step wrong in his haste.

"I know!" Aimee laughed, "I think she thinks we're planning on jumping on the ground again or something."

"Don't just stands there staring!" Madame Dubois sqwacked at the pairs that were, indeed, standing there staring at her and the desperate kid who had fled the second Mme Dubois turned her back, "Try it out!" She flapped her hands at them to get them moving, and all at once all the boys awkwardly twirled the girls, who kept getting stuck mid-twirl with their and the boys' arms.

"Good," Mme Dubois said satisfactorily, rubbing her hands together, Now, the next step is this," She said demonstrating a sort of dip that started on one side but the girl swung to the other. She seemed particularly interested in making sure there were no 'accidental' falling-overs.

"Ha", Charlie said, "We already know how to dip." Then he exaggeratedly dipped her and Aimee, instead of swinging gracefully 'like a swan' as Mme Dubois had put it, swung as if she were falling off a cliff and instead grabbed Charlie's arm to right herself up.

"Not bad," Mme Dubois said tersely at them in a voice that suggested that it _had_ been bad when she passed them. Now they had a few steps down and were practicing. The room was full of partners who were trying awkwardly to dance but seemed to lack any grace.

"Beware," Aimee warned, "I tend to step on toes. Tangoing isn't my talent either."

"Oh, good," Charlie said in mock sarcasm, "You're telling me _now_." Just then, Charlie stepped on her and said, "Whoops." Aimee pretended to gasp and Charlie grinned at her.

"Oh, so that's how it is, is it?" Aimee dared, and stamped on his foot. Charlie pretended to be in pain and said, "That hurt." And stepped right back at her foot.

And so a step-on-foot war began, and they forgot to listen to Madame Dubois showing the next step.

"Monsieur Houston _et _Mademoiselle Potter!' Madame Dubois said again, looking seriously annoyed. A twitch was forming in her right eye.

"Sorry," Aimee and Charlie chorused in unison, and positioned themselves correctly. They kept dancing like perfectly little angels until she turned her back and Charlie stepped on her foot once again. Aimee pretended not to notice, but after a few seconds she stamped on his foot and looked up at him to grin maliciously. Madame Dubois was now going around checking on the pairs.

"Everything going well?" Mme Dubois asked as she came near, and Charlie decided that at that moment it would be a great idea to smash her foot with his own. Aimee fought back a yelp and nodded. Instead, she squeezed Charlie's hand as hard as she could to retail with pain. What she did not count on was that he would crush her hand back.

"Need help with anything?" Mme Dubois offered, and Aimee shook her head, "No, thanks," she said in a sort of strangled voice. Mme Dubois looked concerned at her change in voice.

"Are you all right?" She asked her, looking at her oddly.

"I'm fine," Aimee managed to squeak out as Charlie smushed her hand even more. Mme Dubois looked unconvinced.

"Well, alright, then," She said, and left, and as soon as she did, Aimee hit Charlie on the arm and he stopped crushing her hand.

"Charlie!" She hissed, and he chuckled.

"Sorry," He whispered back, since Mme Dubois was still within earshot. Aimee shot him what she wanted to be a frown but came out as a sort of twisted smile.

"Well, anyway, what was the next step?"

* * *

Nov. 19th

Today was so not my day. I don't understand why I'm so accident prone. Seriously. It's like Accident Day or something. 

Today in potions we had to heat a small quantity of this liquidy purple thing. Supposedly after you add this other substance it turns light pink, but it went sort of red. Anyway, her heated it over a Bunsen Burner. Niether of us, Addie and I, I mean, wanted to hold the clamp over the test tube because that fire was looking mighty fierce. Finally, we convinced Jacques to do it for Addie. He was like, 'Never fear! Jacques is here!' as if he was a superhero or something. It was like he expected Adelaide to swoon or something, or maybe grab onto his shoulder and lift her leg behind and go 'Oh, Jacques! You're my hero!' while Jacques' cape flapped away behind him and whatnot. 

Anyway, after the thing was ready, we somehow managed to compose it so it was light pink. Anyway, I started putting everything away. 

And I touched the Bunsen Burner. 

Yeah, that was a really stupid thing to do. 

Well, it wasn't completely my fault. Jacques and Adelaide were so shamelessly flirting and they were totally ignoring me. AND THEY WERE NOT CLEANING UP LIKE I WAS. 

So, I tried to put away the Bunsen Burner, and, well, there go my fingers. I mean, come on, a full 5 minutes had passed since we'd heated all that stuff. But noooo, stupid me just HAD to grab the HOT metal rod thing and put it back in the drawer, a feat which never happened due to, well, the fact that the skin on my fingers was FLAYED off. 

Hmm. That was a bit dramatic. 

Let's go with MELTED, instead, shall we?

And so, I let out a loud, loud shriek (and I must admit a few swear words as well), and soon everyone in the class was staring blankly at me and asking what was wrong. Monsiuer Cherubini reacted immediately and stuck my hand under the faucet, pouring cold water over my MELTED fingers. 

You could say it was 

a) the embarrasment of having done something so stupid as having touched a flaming hot metal and announced to the whole world my stupidity by shrieking

and b) the shock of sudden surge of heat on my fingers (Seriously… my hand was eminating little fumes of smoke. I put it next to my face and I could feel the heat radiating off it.)

that made me start wailing as if my hand had been cut off instead of just having a burn. Everyone was really sympathetic about it, though, and nobody made fun of my stupidity. 

Alas, this is now the reason why my fingers are covered in band-aids and I can feel my circulation stopping everytime I bend them. I have a feeling that I look like Dobby after he stuck his fingers in the oven. 

Yeah. 

And really, the spot that was MELTED off looked as if I had PUT OUT A CIGARRETTE ON IT, except it was white, which goes to show that my blood probably evaporated. 

Now, though, if I take off the band-aids and examine the burnt spot closely, I realize it looks like it is now swollen and yellow and about to sprout fungus any minute. It's sort of disgusting. If I poke it, it feels like it's full of… ew. Pus or something. GROSS.

I AM WEILDING FUNGUS INFESTED FINGERS. 

Oh, the _horror_. 

* * *

"I brought ice cream," Sophie said excitedly and showed them a half a gallon carton of ice cream with 'Cookies and Cream' written in front. 

"What's that got to do with Christmas?" Adelaide asked skeptically. This pajama party's theme was Christmas.

"Ice cream is cold. _Winter_ is cold." Sophie grinned at them like a buisnesswoman trying to sell a useless product by telling the client it was truly useful, but could not quite manage to convince them.

The girls stared at Sophie for a full 3 seconds before Gaelle went, "What a genius observation. But we must not let it go to waste, even if it cannot be counted Christmas-themed." Then she grabbed the carton out of Sophie's hands and sat down cross-legged on the floor with the carton in her lap and spoon ready in hand.

"I have the music to create mood," Aimee announced, and pressed the play button on the recorder, which had been charmed to function with magic instead of electricity. Immediately some feel-good tunes began to play, and Aimee danced over to Gaelle, who was steadily working her way down to the bottom of the carton, plopped down next to her, and stuck her own plastic spoon into the ice cream, almost snapping it in the proccess as the ice cream wasn't properly thawed. Good. Aimee liked it better when it was as hard as concrete.

"Mine," Gaelle mock-whined, and held the ice cream carton out of reach.

"Honey, I'm just making sure that whole bunch of carbs in that carton do not go straight to your thighs," Aimee stated matter-of-factly, waving the spoon in the direction of the much-wanted ice cream. Gaelle thought it over for a few seconds, then lowered the ice cream back into her lap. "Well, if you're so willing to sacrifice your own thighs for mine…"

Aimee eagerly stuck her spoon into the ice cream, bending it again as she used it more as a shovel than a spoon.

"Dance with me, Corinne," Sophie said in a husky voice, probably trying to sound sexy, moving her hips around wildly to the music and waving her arms in the air in a poor imitation of sexy dancing.

"Oh, come on, Sophie," Corinne said in a half-convinced voice, watching Sophie's progress around and around the recorder.

"Come dance!" Sophie insisted, then added with a malicious grin, "Pretend I'm Jean," and Corinne gasped, "Sophie!"

Then Sophie said in a deep voice, "You know you want it," and began some very dirty dance moves, shaking her butt in Corinne's direction, which sent the girls into hysterical shrieks of laughter. Adelaide got up and began dancing with Sophie, and they smacked their butts together, laughing. Aimee put down her spoon and joined them.

"Shake your booty!" Sophie shrieked in what was probably meant to be a song-ish tone, and they all danced some more, and it wasn't until Sophie attempted a cartwheel and landed in the popcorn bowl that Gaelle opened her bag and presented them with 3 bottles.

"Gaelle! You brought Firewhisky!" Sophie shrieked happily (maybe she was high on brownies?) and went over to her, her ponytail swinging madly to one side due to her bad landing, and started dancing with the Firewhiskey bottle in hand.

"I think _somebody's_ drunk already," Adelaide said slyly, looking pointedly at Sophie, and then opened a bottle and taking a big gulp.

"Leave some for me," Corinne said, taking Adelaide's bottle from her, pausing to clean the opening of the bottle briefly with her t-shirt and then tipping the bottle over her mouth. After drinking a generous amount she passed the bottle roughly to Adelaide and yelled, "Whoooo!" then started dancing.

After a while, the girl's quieted down, and they sat down to gossip. Sophie's head was in Aimee's lap, and she was braiding a random chunk of her hair.

"I hear you're going with Charlie to the ball," Sophie said slyly, and then giggled fiendishly. Definitely high on sugar, Aimee decided as Sophie felt around for teh plate of brownies. When she verified it was empty, she started feeling around again for the cookies.

"Yep," Aimee answered shortly, concentrating on her braid. Sophie's hair was quite long, so it took her a while to untangle hair that was not supposed to be in the braid. "Who're you going with?" Aimee asked her.

"Romain. This guy from Eugene's house. You know him?" Sophie said, twisting her head around to meet Aimee's eyes. Aimee put and elastic band around the badly made braid and started another one.

"Yeah. He's in my transfiguration class. He's cute, isn't he?"

"Totally," Sophie all but swooned, and then said, "I think it's good that you and Charlie are such good friends. I've never been that close to a guy, except when dating, but that's different."

"Yeah, I guess," Aimee shrugged.

"You know, Charlie and I always got along well, but we were never really close, like him and you and Addie and Benji," Sophie said thoughtfully, popping a piece of fallen popcorn into her mouth and munching slowly, "It's good that you transferred here. He used to be all weird sad and stuff and practically talked to no one before winter break, but I could totally tell he was okay after you came along."

Aimee stopped braiding for a few seconds and asked, "Why are you saying he was sad?"

Sophie swallowed her popcorn before answering, "Well, you know, the whole thing back in August." She said pointedly, as if Aimee was supposed to know.

Aimee looked down and kept braiding, but she had lost which piece of hair came first and instead ended up making a weird knot in the middle of the braid. "What do you mean, _the whole thing back in August_? What happened in August?"

Sophie gestured with her hand as if it was something everybody knew, "You know, his little sister…" She stopped dead and twisted around her whole body to look at Aimee. Her braid trailed and slowly began to get undone. "He didn't… he didn't tell you?" She asked in a slow, confused voice.

Aimee frowned. "Tell me what?" She asked suspiciously, her heart beating faster in her chest.

"About his little sister. What happened back in August back in 6th year." Sophie said, looking at Aimee curiously. The first braid hung off her head awkwardly.

"No," Aimee said, feeling strangely sick, and looked down, "What happened?"

Sophie seemed to debate whether or not to tell her, and then began, "It was all over the school for like, a month. He didn't talk much either. I mean, he barely said a word to anyone, even Benji and Addie, and he just totally ignored you and walked away if you said anything about it," Sophie said, her eyes glazed as if remembering, "His little sister died, you know. I heard that a couple of Death Eaters went to his house to get information out of his parents, since they used to work in the Ministry of Magic."

"Oh," Aimee said softly, imagining what would have happened.

"I don't know much about it, but Charlie's little sister was killed." Sophie finished somberly. "What I don't understand, though, is why he never told you," She added thoughtfully, "It isn't like it was a secret or anything. Everyone knew."

"Yeah," Aimee agreed in a voice that seemed dreamlike and weak, "Me neither."

**A/N: Review, please! I'd like lots and lots of reviews!**


	25. The Return of Satan

**A/N: Enjoy!**

"What time is it?" Corinne asked while she painted her nails. Her pinky finger was a bright red, the finger next to it orange, her middle yellow, and she was now working on smearing flourescent green polish on her index finger nail.

"Ten after midnight," Adelaide answered, looking at her watch.

"Midnight," Sophie repeated thoughtfully, rolling over onto her back. She looked up at Adelaide upside down and grinned, "It gives me a sense of mischief that we're all awake at this hour."

Gaelle's face slowly lit up. "You guys! Let's do something!"

"Like what?" Aimee inquired slowly, flipping through a magazine. She wasn't really paying attention. Her mind kept wavering over to the previous conversation she'd had with Sophie.

"Pranks!" Sophie gasped, and you could practically see the lightbulb click on over her head, "Let's prank the boys!"

Adelaide squealed and jumped up, and suddenly the room seemed more awake. "Yeah! We should set Benji's diabolical bird on them!" She shrieked excitedly.

Corinne's eyes widened. "That thing on fire that almost killed Charlie?" She gasped, a look of terror on her face.

"Yep!" Adelaide squealed, nodding furiously, "Benji gave it to me so I could keep it in my room. Charlie would probably break off its wings if he found it lying in their dorm."

Aimee stood up, her worries disappearing and being replaced by excitement. "Oh, we should totally do it."

"Oh, my God, this is so exciting!" squeaked Corinne, looking ready to burst. The girls crept out of the room and went down the hallways leading to their house dorms. Once they entered the common room, the girls fidgeted excitedly. Adelaide turned around and put a finger to her mouth, making a 'SHHH!' noise loudly, causing a giggle or two. The common room was deserted and silent.

Adelaide looked around and started making wild gestures at the girls, making her hands flap like wings and closing them and opening them, then waving them all around her head and making funny-looking, more discrete signs with her hands and fingers. Then she nodded knowingly at the girls. She had communicated with a secret sign language. She started to turn to go into their dorm room.

"What?" sqwacked Sophie loudly, not understanding the plan. Again, a bunch of loud, saliva-inducing 'SHHH!'s were heard and Sophie spoke in a softer voice, "I didn't get the plan."

Apparently, whispering was still too loud and another round of exaggerated 'SHHH!'s went through. Adelaide flapped her hands to gain attention. She then mouthed some words to them and made smaller gestures. The girls stared at her blankly. Adelaide looked disappointed that her Mission-Impossible-esque prank was not turning out to her taste. She once again mouthed the words, only more exaggerated and opening her mouth more.

About half of the girls tilted their heads to the side and looked confused. Adelaide blinked and made a high-pitched noise of utter frustration.

"I'll go to the dorm, get the damned bird, and we'll all go to the boy's dorm room afterwards," hissed Adelaide with venom. There was a collective '_Oh_!' of understanding amongst the girls. Adelaide sprinted up to the door and pressed herself against the wall next to the door. The girls took this as their cue to stop standing around stupidly and go hide. Adelaide raised her hands in front of her face and locked them, resembling a gun pointing upwards.

"Mission Patrol, I'm going in," whispered Adelaide, and then kicked the door open, which creaked noisily and made the hiding girls cringe. A troubled look of guilt crossed Adelaide's face as the door created a dull _thud_ as it hit the opposite wall. Then Adelaide disappeared into the shadows of the doorway.

A whole minute passed.

Aimee, hidden behind a sofa, held her breath and snuck a sideways look at Gaelle, who was hiding behind a potted plant in desperate need of water. Aimee tried to communicate with her through eye twitches, but Gaelle only stared at her and blinked twice.

_Adelaide is taking too long_, Aimee tried to say telepathically, but that didn't seem to work either. Gaelle raised a questioning eyebrow as Aimee produced an involuntary eye twitch in annoyance. Aimee jerked her head toward the door and hissed, "_Adelaide_."

Gaelle's mouth opened in a form of a small 'o' and then squinted at the door curiously. Aimee finally decided it was time to go fetch her fellow friend in time of need. She rolled over and posed at the edge of the sofa, peeking out, her hands in front of her faced in the same gun-like form Adelaide had used. "I'm going in, G," Aimee hissed loudly at Gaelle, using 'G' as a code name.

Gaelle nodded knowingly and whispered, "The coast is clear, cadet." She grabbed a leaf and shielded her face, hiding her head and shoulders. But you could still see she was hiding there due to the fact that her body and bright orange pajamas were blatantly out of place with the brownish-green plant.

Aimee scurried from behind the sofa and hid in the next one. She stole a sideways look at the door, which still hung open. Adelaide had not come out. She rolled from her hiding place in the general direction of the door, but stopped short as she collided noisily into something hard. "Ow!" She hissed. Gaelle slapped her palm against her forehead and grumbled a few swear words as the table Aimee had crashed into turned over, sending the flowers in the flowerpot crashing to the floor, making an even scandalous noise that seemed to pierce through the room.

Sophie, who had been hiding under another table and had been watching her progress across the room, rolled her eyes. "Hey, genius, the door is _that_ way," She hissed, jerking her head towards the direction of the door. Aimee had somehow managed to roll into the way of the table. She nodded, rubbing her injured head, and scampered off into the door.

The common room was silent once again except for the occasional sneeze coming from Gaelle because the little leaves of her plant tickled her nose.

Aimee entered the dark dorm room and heard Adelaide muttering Spanish swear words under her breath, and as she neared and her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw Adelaide sitting in a pile of clothes, things, and books, clawing through her trunk and throwing socks and forgotten bits of sandwiches over her shoulder.

Aimee stared at her disbelievingly, and smacked her forehead. "You can't find it?" She hissed.

"It was in there! I swear I put it somewhere in here!" Adelaide whispered frantically back. She finally gave up and crawled to her nightstand, walking with her knees, her feet dragging behind her. She opened the first drawer and started flinging stuff desperately over her shoulder. Aimee kneeled and continued Adelaide's abandoned search though her trunk. She felt around in the darkness and squinted at the inside of the trunk. Something wet and mushy touched her finger as she reached for the deepest, darkest corner. She retreated her hand right away.

Meanwhile, Adelaide was already searching the second drawer. A few bras or other basic underwear elements littered the floor. A half-eaten brownie flew through the air and smacked Aimee on the side of her head, where she blinked in surprise but kept running her hands through her trunk, reaching for anything plastic with paper wings.

There was another slam as Adelaide closed the second drawer in frustration. She threw open the third one and began once again flinging things over her shoulder.

Aimee stopped to look at the things on the floor.

She saw a pair of dirty socks, a sandwich so old it had turned green, a few hair bands, parchment paper, a few books, a rotten dandelion, a dirty shoe without its other matching shoe nowhere in sight, a stuffed panda, a couple of post-it notes that had things scrabbled on them like 'MUST REMEMBER TO STOP EATING SANDWICHES IN BED OR MUSTARD WILL STAIN BLANKET' or 'MUST BRUSH TEETH', a shattered lightbulb, a large raisin that on closer inspection turned out to be a blackened putrid apple that seemed to have been rotting underneath Adelaide's bed and had rolled out when a moisturizer cream hit it, a shrewed up rose with half of its petals missing, a toothpaste tube that had its blue toothpaste squirted out when a bottle of water bounced on it as it was flung over Adelaide's shoulder, and a dead moth sitting on the floor.

"God, all you need is a _cadaver_ hidden under your bed to complete this mess," Aimee hissed in a grossed out voice. She stood up was careful not to step on the apple-pretending-to-be-an-overgrown-raisin as she walked over to Adelaide, who, not really listening to Aimee, said distractedly, "What? Yeah, I have that, too, I think."

Aimee stared at Adelaide for a few seconds, then blinked.

"I FOUND IT!" Adelaide said loudly in triumph, forgetting to whisper for a moment, She pulled out the plastic bird from within the drawer's depths and waved it around. A piece of lettuce hung from its wing. Adelaide picked it out with a trouble-free expression and the two girls hurried outside, leaving the mess in the room.

When they emerged, Adelaide strolled proudly into the common room, pointed the plastic bird at the boy's dorm room dorm, and hissed, "Charge!" Then she mock ran to their door and all the girls followed. Corinne carefully turned the knob and expertly pushed it open slowly. The door did not creak. They huddled in and Aimee admired for only a moment how the boys looked so serene and peaceful as they slept, some snoring lightly or other just breathing loudly. On the first bed was Jean, followed by Charlie, then David, Jacques, Benji and lastly Arthur.

Aimee suppressed a giggle when she saw Charlie lying facedown on his bed, with the blankets kicked off, wearing only pajama pants, and with his arm dangling from one side of the bed. He was the one snoring lightly, but maybe that was because his face was buried in his pillow and he was not getting enough oxygen and was asphyxiating himself by accident.

She vaguely remembered the Death Eater Drill and that he'd been only wearing his boxers and a blanket. She couldn't help a perverse grin.

"How many turns?" Sophie was whispering to Adelaide as the two of them bent over the bird, their hair obscuring their faces.

"I think two should do it. Enough to scare them, and get them all in a frenzy. They'll probably shoot spells at it, so it'll be doubled a few times," Adelaide whispered back. Corinne suppressed a giggle and bounced excitedly.

"Ready?" Adelaide asked Sophie, grinning manically. Sophie nodded enthusiastically. Adelaide motioned for the other girls to position themselves near the door so after watching the boys awaken to the attack of a demonic bird, they could scurry out in the panic.

Adelaide lifted her hand and popped up one finger as she counted. Sophie held the bird ready.

"One."

A boy stirred in his bed and grumbled something in his sleep.

"Two."

Two fingers up, only one left to go. Aimee gripped the doorway harder and prepared to scram.

"Three."

All of a sudden, the bird let out a shriek that strongly suggested it was possessed by evil spirits, and it flew up high in the air, announcing its return.

As if in slow-motion, Aimee watched the boys' reaction as they awakened to a nightmare. Charlie, of course, sat up in bed so fast, his eyes bloodshot, and his face turned pale at the sight of the bird ricocheting off the walls. Jacques, entangled in his blankets, let out a yelp as the bird swooped down and pecked him hard, then tried to untangle himself, but only succeded in panicking and tumbling out of his bed painfully. Then he took the best option available and rolled under the bed before the bird could make a new attack.

Arthur pushed himself off the bed and let out a very shrieky-ish yell, then shouted, "What _is_ that thing?"

At which Charlie responded with a twitch, "IT'S BAAAAAACK!"

At that the giggling girls hurried out into the common room, peeking their heads into the room to watch the panic unfurl before their eyes.

Jean sat up groggily, saw the commotion, and rubbed his eyes. "Please be a nightmare. Please be a nightmare. Please be a…" He didn't finish his sentence and thudded back into bed, in deep sleep. He was like a rock.

Then the bird attacked David, who fumbled with his blankets until he was free, and then was locked in an epic battle for survival with the bird. He stood up on his bed and swung his shoe like a baseball bat at the bird, missing several times until finally he sent the bird flying away until it smacked into the opposite wall. He took the opportunity to jump down from his bed and look wildly around for a hiding place.

At this scene, Adelaide let out a maniatic laugh that even seemed macabre.

As soon as David saw Jacques squirming underneath the bed, he dropped down just as the bird retailed an attack to his head. David, too, rolled under his bed.

During all this noise, Benji slept placidly in his bed, unaware of the danger.

And then the bird seemed to lock eye with Charlie, and it let out an angry screech. But Charlie was ready, and he'd grabbed a pillow to shield himself and a rolled up piece of parchment to use as a sword.

Arthur fumbled wildly for his wand in his nightstand, it dropped to the floor and he dove frantically after it.

Then Charlie glimpsed the girls laughing at the doorway. Gaelle was on the floor, laughing so hard tears ran down her cheeks.

And a look of understanding crossed Charlie's face, followed by the mischievious glint in his eyes. He then took aim, and as the bird sqwacked loudly at its enemy and charged at his head, Charlie swung the peice of parchment like a bat and the bird was whacked to the doorway.

There were collective screams as the girls ducked. The bird swooped over their heads in a ball of fury, and when it finally regained control over itself, it fixed its evil eye on the girls, gave a mighty shriek that announced vengeance, and dove toward them.

The girls ducked, but the screaming and shrieking didn't stop. Charlie had come to the doorway, armed with his pillow and wand, followed by Arthur and a groggy Jean and a sleepy Benji and David and Jacques, who had also armed themselves with pillows and wands.

Then Charlie, laughing, pointed his wand at the bird, said a spell, and a burst of water drenched the bird, which looked wildly for the person in charge of this attack, but the boys had already expertly hidden behind the doorway.

So then the bird charged at the only people in the room, which was Aimee and Corinne, seeing as the other girls had had the sense to hide.

Then, the bird opened its beak and drenched Aimee and Corinne in a furious waterfall. There was raucous laughter coming from the doorway. The plastic bird swooped up once again and looked for more victims to get wet, saw Adelaide scurrying to the girls dorm room, and followed her in.

And what resulted was Adelaide's scream from inside the dorm room as she, too, was drenched in water.

But what had not been expected was the multiple screams of the other girls, from years 5th to 6th, screaming, and the sound of water being dropped heavily onto the floor and the sleeping girls.

Adelaide ran out, her hair clinging to her face, and shrieked, "Run for your lives!" The bird had followed her out and was cawing viciously at the girls. And they, following Adelaide's orders, fled to the boy's dorm room.

"Not here!" Arthur said in a panicked voice, but it was too late, and now they girls were fighting their way in, even if it meant tackling the boys out of the way. Sophie was one of them, and Adelaide instead just jumped into the room with such determination that the boys parted to give her a safe landing.

"Close the door!" One of the girls screamed in a panicked voice, and Adelaide dove at the door in a spectacular jump, her hair flying in all directions and sending droplets of water everywhere. She slammed the door shut just as the bird smashed into it. She turned around and leaned on the door, then sighed heavily.

"You _weren't_ supposed to do that," growled Adelaide, looking up at Charlie through the wet hair that had splattered all over her face. Aimee decided she looked sort of scary just then.

"What? And let you girls have all the fun?" Charlie said lightly, not the least intimidated.

There was a loud thud as the bird smashed itself against the dorr with such a force that Adelaide was pushed forward.

"You doubled the time!" Adelaide said in an accusing tone to Charlie jerking her head at the door. Charlie frowned.

"How many times did you turn it?" He asked slowly.

"Twice," Adelaide said, then stopped and looked at Sophie, "You did turn it twice, right?" Her voice faltered.

Sophie shrank. "Well, I..."

THUD.

Adelaide was pushed forward again but she stood her ground in front of the door, her back and hands pressed firmly against.

Corinne shrieked and cried, "Jean!" in a frightened voice, then jumped on him. Jean did not look happy at the prospect that now he was getting wet, too.

There were panicked screams outside.

THUD.

"Sophie!" Benji barked roughly, "_How many times did you turn it_?"

Sophie hesitated before answering in a small voice, "Five."

Adelaide slid down the door. "Ten minutes. We'll all be dead within that time," She said in a sorrowful voice.

THUD.

And this time, the bird's beak hit the door so hard, it made a hole in the wooden door exactly in the space where Adelaide's head had been, sending splinters everywhere, the girls screamed and the boys jumped back. Adelaide stared wide-eyed at the hole in the wall.

"We're all gonna die!" Corinne wailed. "That thing wants to kill us!" If it was humanly possible, she clung to Jean's neck even more. Jean seemed to have trouble breathing.

Gaelle started screaming loudly and Arthur clamped a hand over her mouth.

"QUIET!" He roared, and the girls, who had started screaming along with Gaelle, shut their mouths.

"It's only ten minutes. And now it's been about 3 or 4. And now, there are people outside, mainly beautiful girls, who are in danger of getting wet," Arthur looked around at them all and added in a low voice, "Or worse, _pecked_." There were collective gasps among them.

"Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm going out there to save them and earn myself some kisses from fair maidens," Arthur continued loudly, "So, are you with me, or are y'all planning on being cowards?"

"Aye!" The boys answered, and then Arthur let go of Gaelle, who fell aside to the floor with a'n indignant 'Hey!' and shoved Adelaide out of teh way of the door, armed himself with a pillow and a shoe, and swung open the door.

"CHARGE!" He yelled, and ran out, wearing only his boxers. He boys followed him, emitting war yells. The bird immediatelty flew at them, and some of the boys faltered a bit in their war yells.

Arthur ducked and the bird smacked into Jacques's face flapping its wings. He yelled and flapped his hands to try and get the bird off himself.

That's when Adelaide rolled her eyes and said, "Boys. They can never do anything right." Then she marched toward him, pillow in hand and smacked Jacques right in the face with the pillow, knocking the bird off him.

The bird gave a loud sqwack but was soon on its way to Adelaide. It seemed to be aiming, its beak opened and started to caw…

Jacques jumped on Adelaide á la Matrix and pushed her out of harm's way. They seemed to be falling in slow motion. The bird sailed over their heads, missing their hair by mere inches. They both landed on the floor with a heavy THUD and Adelaide shook her hair out of her eyes.

"Oh, Jacques, you saved my life!" Adelaide said with gratitude as she sat up. She looked ready to kiss him. Jacques hastily sat up, too.

"Yeah, well, you did help-" He stopped short and his eyes widened. The bird was coming back. "DUCK!" He shouted, and he flattened himself against the floor, pulling Adelaide with him. The bird shrieked demonically as it missed them again.

Aimee decided it was the perfect time for her to become the perfect distraction so that Jacques could appreciate the romantic moment to ask Adelaide to the ball.

"Hey, Satan!" She shouted, and the bird actually responded to its new nickname and looked her way. "Catch this!" And she threw a rabbit slipper at it.

The shoe hit the plastic bird square in the face, and it knocked the bird right out of the air with a mighty sqwack. Even a few feathers remained after it was hit, fluttering down to the ground noiselessly. The bird landed on the ground, and the boys took their chance, covering it with their pillows and shoes, and then jumping over the huddle of heavy pillows to create more weight over it.

Aimee smirked and flicked her hair. The whole common room, including the students who had been aroused by the commotion started cheering, for the bird had attacked them as well.

"And that is what I call my good aim from being a chaser," Aimee announced, and the common room cheered even more. Aimee considered bowing to her audience but decided it would be too cliché.

She snuck a look at Jacques and Adelaide, who were still in a tangled mess on the ground.

And she smiled satisfactorily when Jacques asked, "So…now that we've saved each other's lives, will you go to the ball with me?" and grinned.

Adelaide responded by laughing and yelling "Yes!" back to be heard over the roar of the students. Aimee looked back at Charlie, who'd been looking at them, and they both nodded, grinning at each other and mentally congratulating themselves on their victory.

Their celebration was short-lived.

"WHAT IS GOING ON?" Madame Dubois was striding into view, still in her nightgown and slippers, the veins on her neck throbbing. Aimee shrank and started backing up. "WHO STARTED ALL THIS MADNESS?"

There was a moment of silence in which the girls looked at one another in panic, and then the boys yelled, "THEY DID!" and pointed at the girls.

"It was Sophie's idea!" Gaelle accused, and the other girls immediately agreed. Sophie gaped at them in shock.

"ME? Adelaide was the one who came up with setting that demonic bird loose in the boys' dorm room!"

Madame Dubois' head turned sharply from Gaelle to Sophie to Adelaide, who was still on the ground.

"We all did it!" She blurted, and all the girls hissed, "_Addie_!" in urgent tones. Adelaide scoffed. "Like I'd take all the blame for you. You want sacrifice? Find a nobler cause." She got up and dusted herself, offering a hand to Jacques.

"All right then." Madame Dubois said through gritted teeth in a tone that suggested she was trying hard not to scream at them. Her left eye twitched. "You girls, _all_ of you, will have detention Monday morning. Yes, Corinne, _all of you_," she added when Corinne started to protest, "No excuses. Now go back to sleep and do not bother me with this sort of stupidity ever again! Have I made myself clear?!"

The common room was silent and they stared at her with scared eyes. The girls hung their heads in shame, or at least they were trying to, since a few giggles escaped from their mouths. Aimee was suddenly aware of her dripping hair.

"HAVE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR?" Madame Dubois shrieked and the girls jumped.

"Yes, Madame," They all murmured. There was excited, or annoyed murmur among the students as they went back to bed. The girls meekly returned to their dorms.

They didn't, though, notice Benji pick up the plastic bird that was now lying on the floor with a malicious glint in his eye.

"It's payback time," he whispered to himself.

**A/N: Review, please! Tell me what you thought. **


	26. The Christmas Ball

Aimee awoke to the sound of thunder. Her eyes opened groggily and she looked out the window. She didn't see any rain at first. Then she squinted, and saw there were no clouds in the sky either. The sky was absolutely clear, with the moon shining down through the window and the stars twinkling happily. Moon light wafted through the window and illuminated the room in an eerie light.

Aimee could tell something was wrong. And the feeling that something was wrong augmented when she heard a snicker, then another thunder clap.

And suddenly, it began to rain.

Inside the room.

Aimee shrieked, along with a few other girls, and squinted up at the ceiling.

There was no ceiling. It was obscured by a bunch of angry and gray-looking miniaturized versions of clouds.

Then laughter broke out completely, and a few more girls started to scream in protest as they were drenched in bed. And then, Aimee saw them. The boys were standing under a giant red-and-white umbrella, laughing their heads off as they watched the girls under the pouring rain.

"God, what is wrong with you?" Sophie yelled, squinting at them through the rain. Her hair was hanging limply by her face, sopping wet. She buried herself under the covers.

"Hey, girls! How are you doing?" Benji called, guffawing.

"What time is it?" Adelaide shrieked. She turned to her alarm clock, but to her dismay it had already been so drenched with water that it was functioning unproperly. The bright green numbers on the tiny screen were going nuts, they turned on and off and flashed different numbers until the alarm clock gave an angry spurt of sparks and died dow.

"Enjoying the rain?" Another of the boys called out, and they started laughing again.

"Boys, you better stop it!" Sophie yelled angrily. There were a few 'yeah!'s around the room.

"Sorry, girls, but this is payback!" Arthur grinned. Gaelle got out of bed and searched blindly in her trunk. Then she pulled out a bright orange umbrella and opened it with a loud 'POOF'. A few girls jumped out of bed to join her underneath the umbrella.

"Ok, you guys, stop it! It isn't funny anymore!" Gaelle shouted over the noise the water was making as it hit the carpeted floor and the umbrella.

"It still looks pretty funny to me!" David said, and they all burst into laughter once more.

The girls grumbled and muttered curses to themselves. Then, an angry screech was heard.

"DIDN'T I CLEARLY SAY THAT I DID NOT WANT ANY MORE OF THIS PRANKING?"

Madame Dubois was making her way over to them. If possible, she looked angrier than ever, psychotic, even. Her whole body was shaking and she looked even scarier with the curlers in her head. They gave her a homicidal housewife look. The boys turned around and their faces paled. The umbrella was dropped to the ground with a thud. Some lightning struck the top of the umbrella.

"DETENTION FOR A WEEK, ALL OF YOU!" She screamed, "I'LL DEAL WITH YOU IN THE MORNING! NOW GET YOU SORRY BUTTS IN BED AND GO TO SLEEP!"

This time, there were no interruptions, and they all went meekly back to bed, desperately trying to avoid Madame Dubois' murderous, penetrating gaze.

What was left of the umbrella spontaneously caught fire.

* * *

After that exciting night, in which everyone had dark circles underneath their eyes in the morning, they all decided to lay low with the pranks and the bad behavior. They attended their detentions, all eleven of them, and suffered their punishments without complaint. 

At least, not while they were within earshot of Madame Dubois, anyway.

Aimee and Charlie continued going to the ballroom classes, and they learned the choreography well. Benji finally got up the nerve to ask Ivonne to the dance. Soon, it was December 19th, the day before they all went home. And it was also the day of the ball.

Aimee wasn't sure why she was so excited. Maybe it was the nerves of dancing in front of everybody. Maybe it was the fact that she was dressing up and making up her hair. Maybe, maybe, maybe.

That afternoon, girls had scurried around the dorm, curling irons and straighteners in their hands, putting on making, admiring their dresses… It had been a cacophony of excited voices.

When it had been time to go down the Grande Salle, where the ball was taking place, Charlie and Jacques were already waiting for Aimee and Adelaide in the Grande Salle. Aimee smiled at the mirror and batted her mascara-rimmed eyes at it, admiring the way her bright green eyes popped out with the smoky eyes effect Adelaide had helped her with. Aimee felt gorgeously sexy with it.

"You look gorgeous," Adelaide gushed at Aimee, who smiled, but she couldn't help noticing the way Adelaide kept attracting appreciative stares from passing boys. Adelaide, of course, looked way more beautiful than Aimee, at least in Aimee's opinion. She deeply admired Adelaide's black and golden dress, strapless and with a sweetheart cut to accentuate her curves. The skirt, though, was another completely different thing. It looked somewhat Spanish-culture-y, with a long skirt and shorter folds all the way to her waist, looking like she was wearing a half a dozen skirts on the same dress.

Aimee, too, was wearing a strapless, and she had opted for letting her hair fall in glossy black curls down her back, as opposed to Adelaide, who had her hair up in an elegant bun, with a few hairs let loose in front to curl naturally. A few hairs at the nape of her neck had been too short for the bun and were curling at the back of her neck.

"Shall we go?" Aimee asked Adelaide, patting the skirt of her midnight blue dress to smooth it. It was glittery and all shiny. Aimee loved her dress. Adelaide nodded and they turned the corner to the stairs leading down to the Grande Salle. Aimee was careful not to trip on the stairs in her T-strap high heels, so she held the handrail as she went. She held up her skirt with the other hand. Aimee couldn't help feeling graceful and beautiful as she heard the rhythmic clack, clack her shoes were making as she made each step down.

She eyed Charlie talking to some guys from another house, waiting for her by the stairs. His hands were deep in his pockets and he laughed at something they'd said. Then, hearing Aimee's steps as she went down the steps, he turned.

He looked at her briefly, decided it wasn't her and turned back to the other boy. Then he started, and turned around again.

And the grin on his face slid right off and all he could do was stare. Aimee could see the smoky eyes were having the desired effect on him. She smiled at him.

Once she reached him, Charlie composed himself and managed to stop staring. Aimee flicked a few long hairs obscuring her face away with her hand.

"Hi," She said, and Charlie grinned. Then he bowed, and seized her hand. "M'lady," He kissed it softly, his eyes looking up at her.

"Charlie!" Aimee blushed, feeling embarrassed and pleased at the same time.

"Thou look beautiful," Charlie added, then stood straight, smiling charmingly at her.

"I don't think you said it right," Aimee giggled, but she didn't particularly care whether or not Charlie's Shakespearean grammar was right.

"But I got my point across, didn't I?" He said, still smiling charmingly, and released her hand.

"Thank you," Aimee gushed, feeling unnaturally giggly. Then he led her over to their tables, where Jacques and Adelaide were having a very involved conversation, Jacques speaking in a low, deep voice and Adelaide batting her eyelashes and smiling. They sat down for a while and talked, then Aimee decided to go get a drink.

Someone was talking loudly next to her as Aimee carefully served herself some pumpkin so that she would not spill it over herself.

"Jean-Pierre! I told you not to spike it!" Marianna was dressed in a stunning cocktail red dress. Aimee had to admit even to herself Marianna looked quite pretty. The dress had a tight bodice and skirt that accentuated Marianna's hour-glass figure, but it had a long cut up her thigh that snapped the classy look in two.

Jean-Pierre was dressed in a suit and he'd been pouring some transparent liquid from a small bottle into the punch. When Marianna reprimanded him, he looked up and grinned. "It's just some good fun!"

Aimee left the table to Marianna sqwacking back at him, "No it _isn't_!"

When she reached their table, Benji and Ivonne had joined them. Benji was oggling at Ivonne, who looked gorgeous in a pretty light blue dress. Soon, Ivonne's friends came by.

"Hey, girls!" Aimee smiled at Paola, Elizabeth, and Samantha. They said hi back and sat down. Samantha turned to her date, who was staring at her with oogly eyes. "Could you bring me some punch, Alexis? I'm thristy."

"Of course," the guy said, and practically turned over his chair in his haste to get her punch.

Samantha turned happily to Aimee. "Isn't he _adorable_?" She gushed.

Thrity minutes later, she stood in the now dark room about to dance her waltz choreography with Charlie, breathing shallowly, and her stomach had an empty feel to it in anticipation. In just minutes they would perform the dance that they had practiced in the ballroom lessons.

"You ok?" Charlie breathed in her ear behind her. Aimee looked straight forward and nodded furiously. "Yeah, I'm fine." She assured him. She gulped.

"You look like you're about to faint." He said again. His face was close to hers and it made the empty feeling in her stomach worse. "Nervous?"

"Yeah," Aimee laughed. It wasn't a humorous laugh, it sounded more like she'd been holding her breath and then let it out as she it. Aimee was quiet for a few minutes.

Charlie's breath against her neck made her jump. "Aimee? Come on, we're on." He jerked his head toward the dance floor and gave her a confident grin. He took her hand and led her to their places on the dark stage.

"I'm so nervous," She whispered to Charlie. The murmur of the crowd was making her uneasy.

"You'll be alright," Charlie whispered back, and Aimee saw him smiling encouragly at her. She relaxed a bit. Then the piano started, accompanied by a few romantic strums of the guitar.

The spotlight was turned on, and the people 'Oh'ed in surprise as it landed on Adelaide, who was sitting on an elevated part of the stage with the musicians, her gorgeous dress draped around her legs. She held a red rose in her hands. Someone whistled. Aimee took a wild guess and supposed it was Jacques.

"This song," Adelaide started in a soft voice, but her voice had been charmed to be heard all over the Grande Salle, "Is about love." The guitar gave a strum-strum-strum as if to make sure the people had heard Adelaide. She plucked a petal of the rose and let it fall to the ground. There were a few more whistles.

"It tells the story of two lovers," She looked away from the rose, another petal between her fingers, "Who could not be together." She let the second petal fall.

Another spotlight turned on, this time on Margaux, the fifth year girl who was doing a duet with Adelaide. Another 'Oh' of surprise from the audience. "Their love was forbidden," Margaux said in her throaty voice, and held her own red rose delicately between her fingers. She let brush against her cheek for a second before she continued, "And their passion was what drove them insane for being ripped apart."

Then the violins started with a loud entrance, and the whole stage lit up, revealing the dancers, in pairs. In cue, Charlie put his hand at Aimee's waist and took her hand, and she put her other on his shoulder.

The violins kept playing a slow, painful tune, and Aimee moved forward as Charlie walked backward, looking straight into Charlie's eyes. She had never really noticed their unusual color before. They were a light brown, almost hazel, but somewhat grayish, if you really thought about it. Around them, all the other couples were doing the same steps as them in unison. Then he twirled her around and they sharply resumed their original position, hands on waists, hands on shoulders. The violins reached their crescendo and Adelaide stood up.

"You go, Addie," One of the boys said and smiled cockily at her. Adelaide breezed past him, leaving the rose on the boy's stand thing to put the papers to read music. She looked at the audience and started singing in that sweet voice of hers, passionate and strong. Aimee let the music flow through her, let Adelaide's voice pump through her veins,and it wa slike she didn't even have to try. The music was leading her, her body already knew what to do. The effort made her start breathing harder. Or maybe it was the loud music that she could feel vibrating in her chest, helping her move to the rhythm?

Charlie dipped her and she arched her back gracefully to go as down as she dared. They resumed positions again and marched, Aimee going backward this time while Charlie went forward. Aimee made a few spins and then came back behind Charlie, trailing her hand across his shoulders as she walked behind him. He turned his head to look at her and reached for her hand.

It was time for Margaux to sing. Her voice was softer, more high-pitched in a sweet way. She sang about love as she picked out a petal from her rose. Then Adelaide joined in and their voices mixed together in perfect symphony.

Charlie dipped Aimee again and pulled her roughly up again. The passionate music stopped to let only one violin play a soft melody as the two singers joined their voices. This was where the dancers stopped, Aimee's hands resting on Charlie's shoulder and her forearms on his chest, and Charlie's hands around her waist. Aimee's breath came out hard through her semi-open mouth, and her chest heaved up and down with every breath. She could feel her heart beating faster. Aimee realized how close to Charlie she was.

Aimee didn't know what came over her, but at that moment, all she knew was that all she had to do just then was tilt her chin upwards and their lips would meet. The words of the last verse were swirling around in her head, controlling her thoughts. When she did tilt her chin upwards, Charlie closed the gap between them, but just as their lips were about to meet, the violins started again in that pained music and Aimee yanked back. They were one step behind! She hurried to twirl around, but Charlie's murky gray-brown eyes never left hers.

It was troubling that Aimee couldn't seem to figure out what he wanted to say.

When the song ended, Aimee quickly excused herself with a "You danced really good. Well, gotta go to the bathroom. Bye!" and hurried off to the ladies' room without even waiting for an answer. Once in it, she locked herself in a bathroom stall to think.

How many people had seen that?

What is Charlie thinking right now about it?

What the heck had _she_ been thinking?

"Aimee?" Adelaide's voice rang through the bathroom, "I know you're in here. Charlie told me you practically ran away from him."

Aimee opened the stall door and grinned as Adelaide, hoping not to seem worried. "Oh, I just really had to go." She said, and giggled nervously. Adelaide raised an eyebrow.

"Uh-huh."

"The dance was great, though, wasn't it? You sang really good. Gosh, it's hot in here. Do you feel like it's too hot in here? Well, I'll just go get a drink, bye!" Aimee chirped, her sentences running together and not stopping between words, so it sounded more like, "The danzzas gray wazzit?", and scampered away, or at least tried to, since Adelaide grabbed her arm and yanked her back inside.

"Ok. What is _with_ you?" Adelaide demanded, hands on hips.

"Me? Nothing. Nothing's wrong. I'm just fine and dandy." Aimee said happily, grinning excessively at Adelaide and talking in the same high-pitched voice.

"_Fine and dandy_?" Adelaide repeated. "Ok,_ now_ I know something's wrong. You _never say_ 'fine and dandy'. _Normal people_ don't say fine and dandy!" She said the last three words as if they were the names of people she was grossed out by.

"Yes, I do. I _always _say fine and dandy." Aimee squeaked, nodding her head furiously. Was it her, or did it seem like everything she said seemed to be put on fast-forward?

"You _don't_. Now tell me what the heck happened between you and Charlie to make you run away from him. He looked pretty weirded out when I found him. Did he say anything wierd to you?" Adelaide had now cornered Aimee.

Aimee scratched her neck uncomfortably, then said, "Not something I said, or that he did… more like… Something_ I_ did, I guess."

"You _guess_?" Adeladaide deadpanned in a completely different tone of voice than her own.

"I…I almost… kissed him." Aimee confessed reluctantly, avoiding eye contact. Adelaide's mouth fell open.

"_You almost kissed him_?" She gasped.

"Yes, but keep it down, will you?" Aimee hissed, looking meaningfully at Adelaide. But Adelaide only walked away in a dazed manner. "Oh, God."

Aimee frowned. Adelaide was making an awful big deal out of this. "What?" She snapped.

"You weren't supposed to _fall in love_ with him, Aimee." Adelaide moaned, and rested her forehead against the wall, "Oh, I _knew_ it."

"I'm _not_ in love with Charlie!" Aimee snapped hotly, feeling the color rise in her cheeks,"It was the music. The dancing. And besides, why not?" She asked, feeling a little defensive.

Adelaide made a gesture with her hands, shook her head, and groaned. "Charlie's-" Adelaide started, but she looked uncertain as how to say it, but finally settled with, "Charlie's complicated."

"Care to elaborate?" Aimee growled, her eye twitching.

"I have to talk to him about this." Adelaide said and made to go out of the bathroom, but Aimee stopped her. "Nuh-uh. This whole thing is my fault. You better not say anything to him about this kiss thing!" She hissed fiercely, and Adelaide begrudgingly said, "Fine."

"Good." Aimee nodded, and yanked Adelaide with her to the door.

After dancing to the cool music a DJ had been playing, Charlie finally managed to corner Aimee at the punch table.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" He asked, and Aimee was so startled with his voice that she jumped and whirled around and clutched the table paranoically.

"A- Avoiding you?" Aimee stammered, then laughed nervously, "I wasn't avoiding you. Why would I avoid you?"

"I don't know. Why have you?" Charlie took a step forward and Aimee stepped sideways, trying to get out from between Charlie and the table.

"Uhh..." Aimee finally reached the end of the table and stumbled back as Charlie advanced and she hit the wall. She put her hands behind her back and tred to look innocently up at him.

He looked up and then said quietly, "What was that, anyway?"

"What was what?" Aimee said quickly. _Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Please don't mean _that

"You know very well _what_, Aimee," Charlie said in a low voice.

"I..." Aimee stalled. Should she play dumb or say the truth?

_What was the truth, anyway?_ Aimee thought dryly. She had never particularly admitted to herself any fancying to Charlie, she had always just assumed he'd be her friend always.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Aimee said, then tried to slide past him, but Charlie put a hand to the wall right next to her head as she did and her escape was blocked.

"Don't play stupid, Aimee. At the dance floor."

"What happened at the dance floor?" Aimee inquired innocently. She wanted to hear Charlie say it outright. Then maybe she could come up with an excuse during that time.

"I mean when you..." Charlie frowned at her, and he slowly removed his hand and shoved both hands into his trouser pockets. Now he seemed unconvinced that anything had happened. Aimee took the chance to edge away. Now, without her back against a wall and trapped, Aimee felt she could breathe better. She had not noticed that she had started breathing harder but now her breathing had regulated.

"Fancy a walk?" Aimee chirped suddenly, hoping to distract him and smiling tightly, taking the chance that Charlie was looking at her as if trying to decipher her.

"Sure..." Charlie said slowly, with that same searching look. Aimee walked out into the garden. Charlie followed close behind. He put a charm on both of them so they wouldn't be cold. A few other couples sat on the benches, making out or talking, looking deeply into each other eyes lovingly.

Aimee found the sight revolting. She wished they had not come out here. Why couldn't she have asked him to dance? WHy was she so stupid? Now he'd have a chance to attack again. On the dance floor, at least, she could pretend she couldn't hear him.

Aimee started talking about normal stuff, and he soon joined in, forgetting their conversation earlier. They talked about what they'd be doing on winter vacations and how they'd start the new year. After sitting by themselves on a bench and looking up at the star-ridden sky, they fell silent. Aimee could see their breath floating up to the sky. They were slent, both lost in thoughts, and Aimee found herself thinking about Charlie.

What did Adelaide mean, 'Charlie's complicated'? Aimee had known him for a year. He didn't seem complicated to her.

Unless… his sister. The one Sophie had said he'd lost.

There seemed a lot of complication on that one, but that had been at the beginning of sixth year. She had never really asked him about it. He didn't know she knew. But why hadn't he told her anyway?

"Charlie?" Aimee asked softly. She was curious as to know why he hadn't told her. It was too strange, some things about him did not make sense.

"Hmm?" He stopped staring up at the sky to look at her.

"Can I ask you something?" Aimee looked away and leaned against the back of the bench, she in turn looking at the sky.

"Sure."

"Were you ever planning on telling me about your sister?" She looked at Charlie. Were they taking turns looking at each other while the other avoided their gaze or something? Charlie's face hardened and he turned away.

After a moment he said, "How much do you know?" Even his voice had hardened. It had an edge to it.

"Enough to feel like you don't trust me." Aimee said defensively, hurt in her voice.

"How much do you _know_?" Charlie repeated sharply, his voice sounding… desperate?

"That your little sister got killed when some Death Eaters went to your house because your parents used to work in the Ministry of Magic and they wanted information." Aimee said, and leaned forward to try and get Charlie to look at her. Charlie sighed.

"Yep." He said bitterly. He said no more. He was quiet for a while.

"What was her name?" Aimee enquired softly. "Your sister's, I mean."

Charlie took a long time to answer. He looked up at the sky, as if he had forgotten her name and was trying to remember. "Emily." He said finally. "Her name was Emily."

Aimee leaned back against the bench and looked up at the stars, too. It seemed easier to talk when she wasn't looking at Charlie's eyes."So _were_ you ever planning on telling me?" She asked again.

"No," Charlie said, "I hoped you wouldn't find out." He paused. "I knew you would someday anyway."

"If you knew I'd find out, then why didn't you tell me? I'd rather hear it from _you_." Aimee said accusingly.

Charlie didn't say anything for a while. "It's… complicated." He said finally.

"That's the same thing Adelaide said."

Charlie's face hardened. "_She_ told you?"

"No. Someone else." Aimee answered, and sighed. "Adelaide did say you're a complicated person, though."

Charlie laughed humorlessly. "Complicated doesn't quite describe it."

"I'd like to know what happened, Charlie."

He finally looked at her. "Why?"

"You're my friend, Charlie. I trusted you with the Animagus thing. I trust you with _everything_. Why don't you trust _me_?" Aimee asked in a hurt voice. She was starting to get annoyed with him at his reluctance.

"It's not about whether I trust you or not," Charlie sighed, "There's more to it than what you know."

"Yeah, I noticed." Aimee said coldly. She rubbed the fine silk of her dress between her fingers, looking for something to distract herself with. "But I don't get why you refuse to keep it from me. Stop acting like I wouldn't understand these sort of thing. You're not the only one who's lost someone. You're forgetting my parents are dead."

Her words seemed to hang in the air as silence fell upon them again.

His voice retained certain desperation, it shook with emotion and his fists curled as he said, "I know. But this is different. You don't _know_ what happened that night my sister died."

Aimee let out a humorless laugh. "Charlie, this whole thing has to do with Voldemort, and my only mission in life, practically, is to help my brother defeat him. I know about this kind of stuff. I don't know what he did to you, but let me tell you, I've encountered him once and I will encounter him again. _This isn't new to me_. I'd understand."

"Undestand, maybe. But that wouldn't be the problem," Charlie said, running his hand through his hair. He exhaled through his nose and frowned. Aimee raised her eyebrows at this. What was the big deal with it? If there was one thing that killed her, it was not knowing, it was people telling her, to put it bluntly, that they had this big secret and then refusing to tell her, beating around the bush with stupid little hints such as that. And it hurt her to feel like Adelaide and Charlie knew something but didn't _want_ her to know it.

"After I told you, you wouldn't trust me," Charlie stated. He was avoiding eye contact.

"Would I, Charlie? You _know_ me," Aimee said angrily, "Charlie, look at me!" She cupped her hand under his chin and turned it roughly to her. "Do you seriously think that whatever you'd tell me would change our friendship that drastically?"

Charlie stared into her eyes and slowly lifted his hand to meet hers on his chin. He pried it off gently and placed it back in her lap. Then he stood up, hands deep into pockets and walked up to the balcony a few feet in front of them. He looked down at the glistening lake. His breath came out in white puffs in front of him because of the cold. Aimee rubbed her arms and watched him. "It _would_ change it that much, Aimee."

Aimee stood up in anger. Did he really think she was naïve and unable to handle it? She knew what Voldemort was capable of doing, but did he really think it would shock her so much she'd stop trusting him?

"Charlie," Aimee said angrily, "Cut the crap. I've dealt with Voldemort before. I don't want to sound conceited, but I'm _Aimee Potter_. My _whole world_ revolves around him." She laughed bitterly at this.

Charlie turned to look at her. "All the more reason not to tell you. It's _because_ of that I can't tell you."

Aimee was truly taken aback by this. Her breathing accelerated and a million things of what could have happened whizzed through her head. She took a step back. Then her hand rose and she whipped her wand out of –where else?- her cleavage. Charlie blinked in surprise.

Everything was falling into place. The huge secret he intended to keep from her, the times he'd been missing for days, gaining her trust so he could squeeze out any information…

"So that night," Aimee started, her voice shaking, "when your sister died, you became a Death Eater? To stop Voldemort from doing anymore damage? From what, killing you?"

"Aimee, _don't_-" Charlie started in a warning voice, holding up his hands, palms outward. He started walking toward her but Aimee waved her hand menacingly and he stopped short.

"You aren't denying it," Aimee said in a low, dangerous voice. She was breathing hard, her chest heaving up and down. "And to think of all the things I told you." Her vision blurred, and Aimee blinked several times before realizing she was close to tears.

"Aimee," Charlie started, his voice pleading, "Please. Listen to me. Lower your wand."

"You bastard," Aimee bit her lip, shaking her head. She refused to cry. "You're a spy." Her brain was already shifting through the dozens of spells she knew, deciding which to use on Charlie.

"Aimee, I'm not a Death Eater!" Charlie said, his voice low and urgent.

"I don't believe you," Aimee stated angrily, and a look of hurt crossed Charlie's face. He made as if to add something, but Aimee demanded, "Where have you been all those nights you said you were sick? You weren't really. You disappeared for two, sometimes three days."

It was all falling into place now. Charlie's secret. But her life, the one she'd had since last year, was falling apart.

"Aimee…"

"If you don't tell me right now where you were, I do intend to jinx you, Charlie, so, for your own good, _elaborate_." She flicked her wrist and waited in expectation.

"I am not a Death Eater, Aimee. What I am… it's not worse than that, but you won't trust me afterwards," Charlie said slowly, his jaw set. Aimee contempled on his words.

"Accio wand," She said softly, and a wand flew out of Charlie's pocket and over her shoulder. It landed with a clanging noise behind her. She wondered why he hadn't armed himself against her, and she decided he was telling the truth. If Charlie were a Death Eater, he would know dark spells and would have already done something to her. She slowly walked towards him, always keeping her wand pointed at his chest. When she was close enough, she gestured for his arm with her free hand. He lifted it, and she took it, lifting up his sleeve roughly. She stared at the blank piece of skin and then looked up at Charlie furtively. She said a spell in a low voice, and she and Charlie stared each other down until the spell took its effect. She looked down at his wrist again. No Dark Mark. No skull with a snake on it.

"Apparently, you _aren't_ a Death Eater," Aimee remarked venomously. Her voice felt oddly cold and stinging. "Either that, or you know how to hide your Mark well."

"I'm not." Charlie agreed, his own voice low and hard.

"Care to tell me what you are, then?" She spat, dropping his hand non-too gently.

"No."

Aimee stared at Charlie in suprise. She had just accused him of being a Death Eater, and he still refused to tell her? If he was dangerous, then she had the right to know. She wasn't just anybody. Him keeping a secret this big from her could prove fatal damage to the war raging outside school grounds, for when she and Harry would confront Voldemort. Ignorance was not acceptable. She bit back a cruel remark, but thought better of it. This was Charlie she was talking to, not a stranger. She should know better than to resort to unnecessary comments.

"_Figure it out_." Charlie growled, looking down at her, then side-stepped her and walked past, "Try not to be a bitch about it."

Aimee whirled around and gaped after Charlie's retreating form, recuperated wand in his hand. His words had stung, and he knew it had hurt her. She hastily brushed the back of her hand against her cheek and breathed deeply. He wasn't worth crying, she told herself. He wasn't worth trusting.

He wasn't worth a friend, she thought to herself defiantly. And with that, she stormed inside.

**A/N: What do you think? I think you all have a good idea of what Charlie was talking about. But, you know, for the good of me, guess wrong so I can feel I've done a good job on the suspense. Yeah. Review!**


	27. Realization

The next morning, Aimee awoke with a headfull of twisted, bed-slept curls, and since the train left early, all she could do was put it up in a messy ponytail, with curls exploding everywhere. She'd forgotten to take off the makeup the night before, and now she was staring at a mirror and seeing a miserable girl with bags under her eyes and a raccoon complexion to go with it. She wiped it all off with her makeup remover and brushed her teeth, then grabbed her trunk, which had already been packed, and checked under the bed, in her drawers and in the bathroom for any forgotten belongings. Finally, she hitched her backpack on her shoulders. It contained food for the trip home, two books to read on the train, and other stuff to entertain herself with.

On the bed next to hers, Adelaide slept, but she was barely visible. All she could see was a few bumps under the blankets and a cascade of dark brown curls hanging off the side of the bed.

"Addie, wake up. The trains leaving in an hour," Aimee said to her, shaking a bump she assumed was a shoulder, "Come on."

Adelaide stirred under the covers and muttered something unintelligible. Then the gibberish turned to Spanish. "_Cinco minutos mas_…"

Aimee rolled her eyes. She'd heard this before, many mornings, and assumed what it meant. Adelaide was probably muttering about not wanting to get up or something.

"ADDIE!" Aimee barked, and Adelaide jumped, rolled over, and fell down to the floor, still entangled in the covers. "TRAIN! IN AN HOUR! GET UP! NOW!" Aimee figured Adelaide got the meaning better when she shouted the main words of her point instead of using sentences.

"_Qué_? The train's leaving?" Adelaide jumped up, tripped over her blankets, and then hurried to the bathroom, saying as she hurriedly started washing her face to get the sleep out of it, "I'll see you at breakfast!"

Aimee nodded and turned to her trunk, waved her wand, and levitated it. The she walked down to the Grande Salle alone, her trunk floating in the air behind her, following her until she reached their usual table. She frowned when she saw Charlie sitting next to Benji. It angered her as she remembered what he'd said to her last night. She plopped down next to Benji. Charlie was on one side of him, and Aimee on the other. Now Benji was trapped between two feuding friends, though he didn't know it. While Benji seemed to be in a good mood, smearing jam on his toast energetically, Charlie was eating silently, obviously in a foul mood. Aimee was determined not to show her anger and pretended to be happy as can be, saying, "Morning," pleasantly.

Benji turned to her and grinned, "Hey." Then he chewed on his toast, and Aimee watched in disgust as she saw what he was staring at; Ivonne. She was sitting with her friends, and when she saw Benji staring at her, chewing on his toast, she blushed and waved shyly. Benji waved back and the two of them stared each other down dreamily as they ate their food. Aimee rolled her eyes. At least someone had had a good time last night. She was sure she could have replaced Benji's toast with a sock and he wouldn't have noticed.

Finally, after about 5 minutes of staring dazedly at each other, Benji seemed to notice the silence in their table. He looked at the frowning Charlie, to Aimee, who'd finally given up the happy façade and was grumpily eating her eggs, then back at Charlie, then back at Aimee. He blinked.

"Is there something going on with you two, because usually, I can't shut you up for _anything_," He inquired curiously, to which both Charlie and Aimee replied shortly at the same time, "No."

Benji continued to look perplexed. "Are you sure?"

"Yep," Aimee and Charlie answered again together. Aimee was pleased to know that at least Charlie hadn't told Benji about their fight last night. He may have said some cruel stuff, but she'd said nasty things, too.

Benji looked from Aimee to Charlie in confusion, as if staring them down would give him answers. Finally he said slowly, "Well, ok."

On the train, Charlie and Aimee avoided sitting close to each other, and by unspoken consent, they each took opposites sides of the compartment. Aimee took out a book to read, making sure it covered her entire face, and Charlie looked out the window, arms crossed, slumped in his seat, legs put up on the bench across him.

Only Adelaide and Benji were speaking, sometimes attempting to get Charlie and Aimee into conversation but failing each time.

Apparently Adelaide had noticed their sour expressions and that they weren't talking and finally said in exasperation, "Ok. What is _with_ you two?"

"Nothing," Aimee answered shortly from behind her book. Adelaide scowled.

"Oh, I'm sure there is something, and if you don't figure out your differences _right now_, then God help me, I will _hurt_ you!" Adelaide threatened, waving her wand menacingly at the two of them, but neither answered and chose to ignore her, at which Adelaide let out a string of curses in Spanish and yanked a bewildered Benji to his feet, who's been eating an apple and had now dropped it to the floor, where it rolled around with the train motion and came to rest at the opposite wall.

Benji stared sadly down to it as Adelaide thrust him out of the compartment and followed after him, shutting the compartment door, but not before turning around to glare at each of them in turn and growl dangerously, "By the time we come back, you two _better_ be talking." Then she slammed the compartment door shut and locked it from the outside with a locking charm. Aimee rolled her eyes behind her book.

"But Addie!" Benji was whining as she dragged him away, "I left all my stuff there and they could take _hours_!"

"We," Adelaide's voice seemed distant as she stormed away, "are going to go find my sister."

And then after that, the last thing they heard was Benji saying happily, "Ok!" and abandoning all resistance, because where Paola was, there would surely be Ivonne, too.

For a while, all Aimee heard was the dull sound of the train's movement on the tracks. Then Charlie asked, still staring out the window, "Figured anything out yet?"

"No, but I will," Aimee said, hoping to sound defiant.

Charlie snorted. "Good luck with _that_."

"Whatever," Aimee muttered, then glared at him some more and finally returned to her book, urging herself to concentrate on it and not on the thought that her wand was in her pocket, ready for use.

When they arrived, Sirius was waiting for her. It was pretty late, night had already fallen. She said goodbye to Adelaide and Benji and promised to write. She and Charlie did not say goodbye to each other.

Sirius took her home and they talked about what they'd been doing for a while, but after that, Aimee excused herself and went to her room. It was around 11 o' clock. She took out her diary and wrote down what she knew. If she was going to figure out what the heck Charlie was talking about, then she would gather information. For now, what Sophie had told her and what Charlie had hinted, the several times he'd feigned to be sick, and what Adelaide had said.

_You weren't supposed to fall in love with him, Aimee. _

Aimee scowled, rolled over in bed, and stared straight up at the ceiling. She folded her arms underneath her neck as a pillow. _I am _not_ in love with Charlie,_ She thought defiantly.

But how would she explain what she felt that day back in October when they'd been staring into each other's eyes for a split second, when she and Charlie had been alone in her room, after the fight he'd had with Jean-Pierre?

The way she'd wanted to… kiss him?

Jean-Pierre.

Aimee bolted upright. Her heart started thudding in her chest loudly. She jumped off her bed and then rummaged through her stuff, until she found what she'd been looking for. The stuffed wolf Charlie had given her for her birthday. The charm to make noises when petted had worn off, She hugged it to herself, and walked, trembling to her window.

She was bathed by the rays of what looked to be a full moon.

_You'll end up killing her someday_, Jean-Pierre had said. She looked down at the stuffed wolf. Had Charlie been trying to tell her something when he'd given it to her?

Her mind raced back to the Death Eater Drill. Charlie had been sick two nights before. Or had it been one? But she remembered clearly how tired he'd been. And then he'd said; "Last night was fu…"

Had he meant to say 'Last night was full moon?'

The dream she'd had earlier that night. The one about the dogs and the black monsters and Benji dying. Charlie had been bitten by the red-eyed dogs and become one of them. Aimee practically ripper the pages apart looking for the diary entry of that dream. It had been cut short. _Of course_, Aimee thought, _I didn't finish it. That night was the_ _Death Eater Drill. _

When she had the date of the entry, she looked further into her trunk for her calendar. As her hands threw socks and uniform skirts over her shoulder, and feeling of panic rose in her chest. She looked for the date, and right there, on the square marked September 15th, it said FULL MOON.

Aimee breathed hard as she clutched the calendar in her hands, and then, her vision blurred. The calendar she held in her hands shook and then fell from her grasp. All the hints, the times it had almost slipped out, went by through Aimee's mind.

She stared dazedly into space, feeling faint.

Then she looked down at the stuffed wolf again, on the floor where she'd dropped it.

"No..." She whispered, her heart beating fast. "Not him..."

She didn't want it to be true. But it was.

She went to bed, nightmares haunting her sleep.

* * *

Aimee sat at the kitchen table alone, sipping her orange juice. Her eyes scanned the Daily Prophet lazily. She reached out her hand and felt around table for her buttered toast. Finally she felt something sticky and wet under her pinky finger. 

_Gotcha. _

She picked it up and munched on it noisily, reading some vaguely interesting article about some wizard who had invented a new spell or something. She picked up her juice again and sipped away, and seconds later she was gulping her toast again, only to wash it down with her glass of milk. Aimee liked to drink both milk and orange juice in the mornings.

As she chewed, there was a tapping at the window. Aimee looked up from her placid reading, a few crumbs falling from her mouth, and saw an owl pecking the window so vigorously Aimee thought the window might break.

She got up and walked towards the window, opened it, and let the owl in. There were a few bits of snow in its feathers.

Aimee watched sadly as the owl posed itself smack on her plate of toast and shook itself from the cold.

_There goes my late morning breakfast_, Aimee thought sadly. She would probably have to fix herself another piece of toast. Mmm. She could find some jam this time. As she took the letter from the owl's beak, she mused on the idea that maybe the jam in the fridge that Aimee was sure had been there for months could be used as her morning jam.

All her thoughts of jam vanished as she read the first line of the letter.

_Aimee, _

_This is Adelaide. I don't know how to break it to you, but there's been an accident. _

Aimee's eyes scanned the rest of the letter, and suddenly, Aimee felt as though she were standing at the very top of a very high cliff, hanging for her life from the rocks. Her hands started sweating and the letter slipped from her fingers. Her stomach, which had been happily full before, now felt like it had a huge gaping hole in it, sucking Aimee's panic with it.

She stumbled out of the kitchen, searching for her coat, the truth dawning upon her.

_There's been an accident_, the letter said.

Her fingers clumsily looked through her clothes drawers, .

_There's been an accident. _

The words banged about in her head until though they had no meaning. _Accident. Accident. Accident_. The letter was still crushed in her hand. Aimee pulled on her boots over her jeans, and a hoodie over her shirt. She hurried down the hall, putting on her coat as she did so. She had to get out. She had to see him. She had to apologize.

If there was still time.

She crashed into Harry full on as he was passing by, carrying a glass of milk. The glass fell from his hands and smashed into a thousand pieces when it hit the floor.

"Hey, where are you going all dressed up like that?" Harry asked, waving his wand as the pieces of glass flew back together. He looked sadly at the spilt milk on the floor.

"To the hospital," Aimee said. She was suprised to see that her voice was cracking.

"What? Why?" Harry said confusedly, standing there, gazing at her as she urgently fastened on her scarf.

Aimee reached the front door just as she pulled on her mittens. She grasped the doorknob and twisted. As she walked out the door, she looked at Harry.

"Charlie drowned," She whispered faintly, her whole body shaking

Then she slammed the door closed.

Aimee knew he'd follow her. Harry immediately hurried after her, and, seizing her shoulder, whirled her around, and planted both hands on her shoulders.

"What?" He deadpanned.

Aimee breathed slowly.

"They found his body this morning. Benji's going to pick me up at the boat station," Aimee said, and she kept her voice down to a whisper for fear that hysteria might take over her and she might scream out the words.

Harry stood there, staring at her.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

Aimee shook her head, her breathing was coming out noisily and sorrowfully, sounding much like a children's sobs when he falls, "No. I'd like to go alone."

"Ok. Send me a letter." He answered. Aimee nodded, the tears coming down hard.

Then Aimee was on her way.

30 minutes later, Aimee leaned on the rails of the boat, the one that was taking her from England to France. She couldn't apparate over water, so she had to take a ferry. Her hair, which she hadn't bothered to brush that morning, was hanging loose and messy over her back, and it was being whipped back in the wind.

After Aimee had calmed down- she had walked for a bit so Benji wouldn't know she'd been crying- she had apparated to the boat station. Now, she had time to read and reread the letter all she wanted.

And wonder whether or not she should jump into teh water and kill herself for beig so _stupid_.

_Aimee, _

_This is Adelaide. I don't know how to break it to you, but there's been an accident. Charlie drowned. His body was found by the river this morning. He was taken to the hospital and maybe they'll be able to do something. He's strong, Aimee, so there's a chance he might make it. _

_Aimee, please come. Not only do I need you, but I'm sure Charlie does, too. I'm a wreck. I can hardly write this down neatly because I'm crying so hard. Benji's the only one who actually had a head to make some sense of this situation. If you're willing to come, just send a note with the owl to Benji and he'll pick you up at the Ferry station in St Brieuc. _

_There's something we haven't told you, but Charlie made us promise not to tell you. Now, I think it's the right time, because it's getting too complicated, and we've been lying to you far too long. _

The guilt was killing her. She couldn't stand it, she felt like a real bitch. Just like Charlie had said. Try not to be a bitch about it.

Exactly what she'd done.

She hadn't even said goodbye to him and now he was on the verge of life and death. Aimee put her head in her hands. _I'm so stupid. _She whacked her hand against her forehead. _Stupid, stupid, stupid. _She crumpled up the letter again and tore it into pieces. Then she tossed the pieces at the sea below, and turned away from it. She hadn't even said goodbye, goddammit! She'd been angry for a stupid reason and now Charlie had to pay for it.

She knew what they were going to tell her, anyway. She hadn't wanted to admit it, even to herself, how all the pieces fell together. She didn't want ot think about it.

But then the ferry was at the docks and Benji was waiting for her. He made no jokes. He didn't laugh. He didn't smile.

Aimee feared that maybe it was too late.

"How is he?" She asked.

"He's still alive. We don;t know whether he'll make it." Benji's answer was spoken in a normal voice, like he was speaking about the weather.

They barely spoke much before they apparated to the hospital. Then, Adelaide and Benji sat her down in the waiting room of the hospital and told her everything.

Charlie was a werewolf. As Aimee suspected, he'd been bitten the night his sister had been killed. People had thought he'd missed the first few weeks of school because he'd been grieving for his lost sister.

Now Aimee knew his parents had been trying to decide whether or not to still send him to Beauxbatons, and had finally come upon an agreement with Madame Maxime.

Aimee put her head in her hands and cried softly all through this. Her shoulders shook every so often. Adelaide told her she'd leave Charlie to tell her the rest.

And then Adelaide got up and asked her if she was ready to go see Charlie yet.

Aimee stared up at Adelaide with wide eyes. She couldn't go see Charlie. She'd never see Charlie again. The Charlie who was lying unconscious in the hospital room 303 was a new Charlie, one unknown to her. It was not _her_ Charlie.

Adelaide stared at Aimee.

"You… don't want to see him?" She asked slowly.

"I…I-I don't know," Aimee whispered, wrapping her arms around herself. She wasn't ready to face the truth completely, even though it had been hovering around her mind slapping her face to try to make her understand since last night. Adelaide stared at her a few moments more.

"Okay…" She said in the same, slow voice. "There's no use hanging around here, it depresses me even more. How about we go to the floor below and get some coffee?"

Aimee nodded and breathed hard. Benji left to see Charlie. As he closed the door, he looked back at Aimee with a face so serious Aimee wondered if it was really the Benji she'd known for almost a year now. His eyes sunk into hers and he didn't smile. His gaze was unscrutinizable to Aimee. It was only for a mere second and a half, but to Aimee, that gaze that seemed to accuse her seemed to last an eternity.

It almost seemed to hurt her.

A/N: Hope you liked the chapter. It was sort of darky and sad. I just love secrets. So, review!


	28. The Locket

**A/N: There was some sort of weird mix-up. In my computer, Chapter 28 and 29 were the same part, Charlie waking up, but they were written slightly differently and chapter 29 had an additional scene with Harry and Aimee. Please reread this chapter so you won't miss it!**

"How was it, then, the summer he got bitten?" Aimee asked, holding her hot mug with both hands to warm herself. Adelaide stared into space for a second, then answered in a low, hollow voice, "Agonizing."

Aimee looked at Adelaide. She looked like she hadn't slept, but Aimee knew it was just stress. She raised her coffee to her lips and took a small sip.

"It took me days to fully accept Charlie's –state," Adelaide added that last word jerkily, "Those were the darkest days of that summer. It was…" Adelaide paused to think of the right word, then took a sip of her own coffee, "It was hard to handle.

"The first few months of his transformations and full moons," Adelaide sighted, "They were really hard for him." Adelaide took another sip and Aimee stopped staring at her to look into space while she sipped again.

"But then you came along," Adelaide added abruptly, and turned to look at Aimee with serious, serious eyes, "Something about you lifted his mood. And things seemed to get normal again."

Aimee looked back to her coffee, but she didn't drink. Hermione had told her the same thing once about Harry. She had seemed to brighten his mood when she'd be around, she'd said.

"I'm glad you turned up at Beauxbatons," Adelaide added quietly, and stopped looking at Aimee to look back at her own coffee and stir it with a spoon.

"I tried to get him to tell you. I know you've become close friends, but I think he was somewhat afraid that you would reject him after he told you, so he never did. I hope that it doesn't come between your relationship as Charlie thought it would."

There was an awkward silence. Aimee knew it would. Things would never be as carefree and fun as before.

"I'm just sorry you had to find out the hardest way." Adelaide kept stirring her coffee, resting her chin on the palm of her hand and looking down at her coffee. Aimee didn't answer. Charlie being a werewolf changed things.

But did it change that many things? Did they even _matter_ to her?

"Let's get back to waiting room," Aimee suggested quietly, and the two of them left their coffee on the table without really caring that they hadn't even finished them.

Once they were back at the waiting room, Aimee met Charlie's older brother. He was in his early twenties' and looked a lot like Charlie himself. Brown hair and the same deep gray-brown eyes. His name was Michael.

"Aimee Potter, huh?" He said as he shook her hand, "Charlie told me about you."

Aimee could only smile weakly back. She was feeling sort of faint at seeing Charlie's face reflected so much on his brother's.

"I heard about you, too." She answered. "How's he doing? Anything new?" Michael's face grew grim and he said in the low, deep voice of his that seemed identical to Charlie's, "The healers told me there's a good chance he'll make it. He might be unconscious for a couple of days…" He broke off suddenly as if scared to continue, "They have him on sedatives now to let his body heal and rest, but they'll stop inserting them into his body tomorrow evening, but the rest is up to him."

Aimee blinked and a cold panic gripped her, "What do you mean, 'the rest is up to him'?" She repeated shrilly.

Michael looked uncomfortable and he rubbed his neck. He avoided her eyes, a pained expression in his eyes, "There might be… damage." He said slowly. Aimee clung to his every word.

"If he doesn't heal well, his body could go in a comatose state," Michael continued, and Aimee stared at him, her mouth dry. "There wasn't enough oxygen going to his brain for some time, and that's the dangerous part." He took a deep breath and for a moment his eyes seemed wet. He continued to avoid Aimee's eyes, which were staring into his own for information. "Excuse me," He said suddenly. He hurried past her, leaving Aimee standing there staring out the window as she faintly said, "Ok," in response.

Then she collapsed against one of the sofas and covered her face with her hands. She blinked several times and felt a tingly feeling around her jaw, as if she had just eaten something sour. Then she twirled a lock of hair and in frustration, and pulled it until her scalp ached.

The pain felt good. It went with her pent-up desperation and her mixed thoughts. She stayed there for an hour, maybe two. She thought and pulled the lock of hair until it felt like it was being ripped off.

She panicked at the thought of Charlie in a comatose state. She cried twice. She stood up and walked around the hospital for some time, trying to clear her thoughts. Then she went back and sat down. She fiddled with her scarf, still hanging loosely around her neck. She looked at the other people sitting in the waiting room.

She saw people who stared vacantly in front of them, frowns and scowls and a crying face.

A girl, maybe 13 or 14 years old, sat reading a book, but she kept closing it and looking out the window, then readjusting her posture on the chair, and opening the book again for a few minutes before slamming it shut again.

A young woman a few years older than Aimee hurried into the waiting room. She ran to a healer who was standing by holding a clipboard with charts and talking to a group of concerned-looking people. Aimee leaned back against the back of the sofa and watched her say frantically to the healer, "How is he? Is he going to be ok?"

The healer shook his head and frowned, "I'm sorry, mademoiselle." The young woman stared at him for a few seconds and then whispered, "_What_?."

"I'm afraid that he's passed away. We tried our best, mademoiselle."

"No." Her eyes started to well up with tears, and the healer walked away with one last sad look at her, leaving her standing with the group of people.

"Nora-" One of the young men started, walking to her, but she clapped her hands to her face and stepped away from him.

"No!" She wailed even louder, "No, that can't be true!" She shook her head frantically, and Aimee felt a spark of sadness ignite within her.

"Nora, there's nothing we can do," The young man tried again. "He's gone."

"No…" The young woman sobbed, her shoulders shaking. The young man embraced her and she sobbed into his shoulder, saying "No," over and over again, each time her voice getting weaker.

Aimee looked at her and the words the young man had said banged around in her head.

_There's nothing we can do._

Aimee got up with determination and strode to the room Charlie was staying in.

_There may be nothing I can do about Charlie being a werewolf. But what I can do is support him._

With that thought, she opened the door and entered the room.

* * *

Charlie's brother, Michael was there, sitting in a chair with his head in his hands. He did not look up when Aimee came in. Charlie's mother and father were there, standing right beside his bed. His mother was stroking Charlie's cheek and holding a dampened handkerchief to her face. They were praying together, their eyes closed, holding hands, and murmuring a prayer softly. Aimee found it comforting. 

Benji and Adelaide were also there, sitting next to Michael. Benji looked up at her but did not smile. Adelaide offered a weak smile. She sat next to Benji and stared at Charlie. His face was a welcomed sight. Although he was pale and bruised and a transparent liquid was being inserted into his hand by a needle that had been taped over to prevent it from moving.

It hurt Aimee to see him like that. There was a constant beep every few seconds to show the heart rate or something. Aimee found it utterly annoying. It did not calm her down.

"You decided to show up," Benji said quietly. He stared straight in front of him, not even glancing at her. Aimee knew why. He thought she had not accepted Charlie now that she knew about him. She didn't even know herself how she would be treating Charlie from now on.

Maybe that's why she had spent the last 2 hours and a half hovering in the waiting room.

Several times had she got up with a determined look on her face to make her way over to room 303, but the nearest she ever got was just staring at the doorknob and then going back to the waiting room with her tormented thoughts. She felt like a coward and a bad friend. She did not deserve to have such great friends like Charlie, Benji, and Addie who had supported her on everything always.

And the one thing they had lied to her about, and kept a secret for Charlie's safety, she could not forgive?

Aimee knew what she had to do but she could not bring herself to it. And she hated herself for it. She brought up a lot of 'buts' on the subject and now there was a mental battle raging inside her head as she stared at Charlie unblinkingly.

The whole situation seemed simple and complicated at the same time.

They stayed silent like that for the rest of the afternoon, except for the occasional time when a relative dropped by or a healer came to check on him, in which they all swarmed him or her for answers to their questions.

When would he wake up?

Was he going to be ok?

He wasn't going to die, right?

At nightfall, Michael, Benji, Adelaide, and Aimee left and Mr. and Mrs. Houston stayed for he night. Michael bid them a farewell and he walked silently away.

"If he makes it through this night ok, the healers say there's a pretty good chance he'll be perfectly fine when he wakes up," Benji said quietly. Adelaide and Aimee nodded. Adelaide announced she'd better be heading home and Benji offered to accompany Aimee to the ferry.

After they'd apparted and Aimee was getting on the ferry, Benji said, "I hope none of this werewolf stuff doesn't come between you and Charlie, Aimee." He said it on such a serious tone, and Aimee wondered if her friends had all been disappeared to be replaced with these strange, serious people.

"I know," She said quietly, "But it'll still be hard to view him as the same, at least for a while," She looked at Benji and continued, "Benji, you've got to understand that this is hard for me. Getting used to it will take a while." Benji offered a half-smile, one that expressed irony.

"Just remember, Aimee. You met him when he was already a werewolf and you had no problem with that. The only difference is that before you didn't know and now you do. Get home safely, Aimee. Hopefully I'll see you tomorrow if you do decide to drop by." He half waved and turned, his hands in his pockets, and he walked away without looking back, leaving Aimee to ponder over his words.

* * *

That night, Aimee returned late. She'd walked from the ferry to a nearby park, and from that she walked and walked and walked wherever her feet took her until she got tired and apparated home. 

Harry had been waiting for her, sitting in one of the couches in front of the fire in the living, the one room that would ensure that he saw her come in as it was the room that followed the front door. Aimee walked past him, and they both stared at each other for a minute. She knew Harry could feel her sadness, the lost feeling and the emptiness inside of her. Then, without a word, she walked past him into her room, where she shut the door and planted herself in front of her window, staring at the waning full moon. Of course. Charlie had drowned the night he transformed. How and why, she didn't know.

For a moment, she felt numb. Cold. She didn't feel anything. Then slowly at first, hesitantly, the anger and the sadness began to boil up her throat, faster and faster until she couldn't stand it.

She kneeled, the anger and the sadness had tired her. She sat on her feet before the window in her dark room, alone, her head bowed, with the light of the moon illuminating her hunched body.

Then the first tear rolled down her cheek, followed by the next.

Outside, it had started to rain and the thunder was deafening.

Two more tears rolled down her cheeks, and as lightning pierced the earth, Aimee could no longer stand it and she started to cry openly, sobbing, drawing deep breaths that would not steady her.

Her shoulders heaved heavily and she planted her hands on the wooden floor. She cried and cried until she was worn out, then dragged herself to the windowsill and leaned on it, curling herself into a ball and willing herself to stop the tears that were still coming down her cheeks.

She had stopped the noisy, hysterical crying, to be replaced by steady cascades of silent tears. She closed her eyes and drew her knees up to her chest, putting her wet face in between them and circling her legs with her arms. Her long eyelashes were sopping wet and impaired her vision.

The door creaked open, but Aimee didn't bother looking up. Whoever had opened the door walked into the room slowly and settled down beside her. They sat in silence for a while and then an arm encircled her and she laid her head on his shoulder.

"You need to talk," Harry said softly. "Tell me."

Aimee did not trust herself to speak. She was afraid that her new peace, now that she was able to stop crying, would release again if she spoke of the awful pain in her chest, the aching guilt and the feeling of helplessness. Harry did not rush her, nor did he say anything else. He just held her and waited patiently for her speak.

"It's my fault." She whispered finally. She was becoming aware that Harry's t-shirt was now wet, for she had rubbed her tear-stained face into his shoulder and it was now sticky. "I didn't see him for what he truly was. I said very, very bad things to him and he said bad things back to me, and now he may as well be in a coma."

"How bad were these things you said to each other?" Harry asked her, and Aimee sniffed.

"I accused him of being a Death Eater."

"Oh," was all Harry said. "And what did he say to you?"

Aimee was afraid to repeat the words he'd said to her. It wasn't what he'd said, but more the way he'd said them. The hard edge in Charlie's voice, the way his hands had knotted into fists at his sides. The hate in his eyes. That was what hurt the most. "They weren't as bad as what I said to him, but…" Aimee hesitated, "but _they hurt_!" She wailed this last part and started sobbing again. Harry rubbed her arm in a soothing motion and said 'Shhh…' over and over again, and Aimee found it comforting.

"People say things they don't mean when they're angry," Harry said, but Aimee only emitted whimpers as she tried to calm herself down. "And those words hurt…well, because the person who says them is one who we care about, you know?" Aimee only nodded pathetically into his shoulder.

"Why'd you accuse him of being a Death Eater, anyway?" Harry asked after a while, and Aimee straightened up, wiping away at her wet face with the back of her hand.

She turned away from Harry and stared out the window, looking at the moon. She had now calmed herself and her voice had steadied enough so that she could speak normally. But she kept her voice low and monotonous.

"He'd disappear for two or three days a month. He would claim he was sick, but now I know he wasn't. Voldemort went to his house about a year and a half ago to get information out of his parents, who used to work in the Ministry, and his sister was killed. He didn't tell me anything else."

Aimee lifted a hand and pressed it to the cold window. She watched the glass around her fingers fog with the heat of her hand. "But now I know that Charlie really is a werewolf."

Harry sucked in his breath and swore quietly. "Charlie? He's a _werewolf_?"

Aimee changed the topic suddenly, and her voice adopted a new tone. One that was not filled with pain for her Charlie, but more as if it were leaden with memory.

"Remember our birthday, back this summer?" She asked quietly, and Harry nodded. Aimee let her hand slide from the cold window and her hand's mark on the window was left on the glass, like a haunting past. She turned to Harry again. "He gave me a stuffed wolf. Remember?" Harry nodded. Aimee sat back against the window and stared straight ahead.

"The clues were all there. He hinted. Sometimes he would let it slip. He _wanted_ me to figure it out. He was too afraid to tell me," Aimee's voice hardened, "But I didn't figure it out. I did, eventually, but by that time it was too late and the full moon had come by again." Aimee laughed bitterly at the ironity of it all. "I trusted him. That's why I never figured it out. Because I trusted him too much."

She opened her eyes to look at Harry. "Maybe that's my problem. I trust too much on people who I think are one way, and suddenly I realize they're much different than I thought." She shook her head. "Maybe that's why I'm easy to lie to."

Harry finally spoke. "Aimee, you want my opinion? Being a werewolf or being friends with one, especially when you're close, is hard. There's suffering involved. There's lying involved. It isn't your fault. He had to lie to you, and in the end, that lie became more of a problem than protection."

That's why Charlie hadn't told her. _You won't trust me after I tell you_. Of course. Who would trust a werewolf? Aimee wasn't sure she did trust him now.

Harry looked up at the ceiling, "So my advice is this; Talk with him. Apologize."

_But don't fall in love with him. _

Aimee now knew why Adelaide had acted that way at the ball. It was different being friends with a werewolf than falling in love with one.

Aimee let her head loll back and rest against the cool window pane. She closed her eyes. "It'll be hard anyway," She murmured.

"But it's the right thing to do," Harry added. He then thrust a small object gently into her hands, and Aimee opened her eyes, but she only looked up to see Harry walking towards the door.

"That was mum's," He said quietly before closing the door behind him, meaning whatever he had put in Aimee's hands. Aimee stared at the door for a second before turning her attention to the object.

A locket.

It was golden with the words I love you carved in fancy letters

Sweet music filled her ears.

* * *

Aimee arrived on a conclusion that night. 

It wasn't about accepting the fact that Charlie was a werewolf. It was about being there for him the way he'd been there with her whenever she'd had a rough day. It was about not caring that he was a werewolf. He'd listened to her complain about stupid details like the lesson with Monsieur Montgomery and the kid in the fifth year who stalked her, and then he'd made her feel better by making her laugh. He'd agreed to do things he wouldn't have done if Aimee had not convinced him to, like the ball room dancing lessons. And he hadn't been a grouch about it. He had stood up for her plenty of times, like on the train after sixth year.

She wanted to be like that.

Her dreams flashed memories of their times together. The time he and Benji and Addie had come over to celebrate her 17th birthday. The way, when they'd walked to the lake, the sunlight had been blocked by the leaves on the trees and sometimes, if they walked into a certain spot, they'd be flashed with white sunlight in between the tree branches that would blind them for a second. The echoes of tehir laughter as they walked. The Death Eater Drill in the middle of the night. The way she'd gripped his arm. The sound of her own hard breathing. Running for what felt like their lives, both wearing their freaking pajamas, of all things. The fight with Jean-Pierre. When she'd screamed at him to stop. Her own heartbeat thudding in her ears. The ball. Dancing together. What his hand felt like against hers. Their fight outside, right next to the balcony, as the approaching full moon apparead over their heads. It was all there. She hadn't looked close enough.

The memories began to play in her mind faster and faster. All conversations seemed to be muted, only the sound of her own heartbeat. Insignificant things she had not noticed before seemed to shine with more color. Sunsets, faces of people she had passed but had not acknowledged, the vibrant white of the snow, things that people had said that hadn't mattered at that moment. It came to a stop the moment when Aimee had leaned to him, their noses touching, and they'd almost kissed before Aimee jerked back in sudden realization of what she'd been doing. The way he'd stared at her with unblinking eyes the rest of the dance.

_You'll end up killing her someday._

Jean-Pierre's words came back to her mind. Aimee shook them from her head. They made sense now, but now that she knew what they meant they scared her more than ever.

_You fancy Charlie, Aimee, admit it!_

The teasing way Adelaide had said it had let Aimee roll her eyes and sarcastically say, "Oh, sure, I'm _so_ in love with him."

Her own words came back to her. The moment when they almost kissed replayed once again in what seemed slow motion. This time, what Aimee noticed the most was the swelling sensation deep inside her chest.

Her eyes snapped open suddenly. She was still lying in bed. The sun had not yet come up, but a few rays could be seen in the distance through the window. Aimee stood up from bed and watched the sunrise from her window. Then she got dressed, ate a muffin on her way out, and returned to the hospital.

She was at the hospital most of the morning, and for lunch, she, Addie, and Benji went out to some restaurant nearby to eat. The conversation wasn't filled with laughter and inside jokes and the occasional food-throw at someone to express their annoyance when one was teased.

They talked about Charlie. They talked about how he used to be before the Bite, and then they talked about the Charlie of now, in the hospital, unconscious for almost 48 hours.

In the afternoon they were back at the hospital, waiting. The sedatives were to be stopped sometime before dawn.

Tomorrow they would see what would happen. Tomorrow was a crucial day.

Aimee went home quiet and she locked herself in her room. She wrote in her diary for a long time. Then she cried herself to sleep. She had never been as scared as she was before. Sure, there had been a few panicked-filled moments, but they'd lasted seconds, maybe a minute or two.

Waiting for days on end was excruciating.

**A/N: I had to cut the story here, because with the extra stuff put in it, this chapter was too long, about 15 pages, I think. I din't like it when chapters are long, 'cause it takes too much time and then you lose interest. I like to do 9 to 12 pages, normally. So anyway, review please!**


	29. Words That Hurt

The next morning, Aimee didn't feel hungry. There was toast and cereal and waffles and eggs. Bu she couldn't eat. She wasn't hungry. Nothing would taste good. She didn't want any food.

She wanted Charlie back.

"How is he? Any better?" Sirius' voice said behind her, and Aimee stopped opening the door. She turned to face Sirius. Her bright green eyes looked at his gray ones and then she shrugged.

Aimee opened the door and left the house. Sirius leaned against the wall and sighted. He didn't like seeing Aimee like this. She'd been moping in her room the little time she'd spent in the house the past two days. It was always come in, lock herself in her room, and then cry herself to sleep, thinking that nobody heard her. Then, in the mornings, she'd go back to the hospital, her footsteps echoing across the house as Harry and Sirius stared after her unable to come up with anything remotely comforting to say.

That morning, the room seemed more tense. Charlie's parents and his brother was there, too. So were Benji and Adelaide. They were quiet again most of the day, making little conversation. At lunchtime, Michael told his parents he'd be taking them out. He said they needed to be out of the hospital for a while. His mother wanted to stay behind, but Michael convinced her that it would do her good to distract herself. Aimee volunteered to stay with him. Adelaide and Benji went off to the hospital cafeteria to eat.

Once the door closed and they all shuffled out, Aimee walked to Charlie's bed. She stared at his face a long time. She placed her hand on his arm and moved it up and down in slow, rythmic timing. She hoped the unconscious Charlie would somehow feel the gesture in his sleep mind and know that he was not alone.

She pulled up a chair and sat in it, staring at Charlie, willing him to get better. After a while she reached out for his hand. She squeezed it.

He squeezed it back.

Aimee froze, and she saw that instead of hanging loosely as it had been seconds ago, his hand had curled around hers. Her heart forgot to continue beating. She held his hand tighter, and she smiled weakly. Maybe he would get better.

"Charlie?" She asked softly. Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Charlie, wake up. Come on, you can do it."

He didn't move. He didn't even stir.

"Charlie. Come on. Come back."

And then Charlie's eyes slowly opened. He blinked twice. His eyes looked up to the ceiling and then they searched around the room. His eyes fell upon Aimee and he turned his head slowly to look at her. He stared at her for a few seconds. A smile broke across Aimee's face and she whispered, "Hey, welcome back," in greeting. Charlie blinked at her.

"Hey," He said back. His voice was soft, and barely audible. Aimee would have thought he had only mouthed the words if the room had not been dead quiet. He did not smile, his body didn't move. It was sort of alarming. The healers had warned of paralysis.

"Feeling better?" She asked gently. She suddenly became aware to the fact that she was still holding his hand. She made no move to remove it. Instead she made little circles in the back of his hand with her thumb.

"No," He said in the same quiet voice. His eyes wandered back to the room and he looked around. Aimee saw the confusion in his eyes as he looked around the room.

"You're in the hospital, Charlie," She said. Charlie looked back at her and furrowed his eyebrows. He stared at her as if to search for information.

"What?" he asked slowly, as if this piece of information was ridiculous.

"The hospital, Charlie," Aimee repeated, "You… You were in an accident."

And then, his eyes widened. They flicked from right to left in panic and his mouth opened a little as if in suprise. His breathing became harder. He wrenched his hand away from her hand as if it had burned him.

_Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep._

The beeping on the machine had accelerated.

"Charlie?" Aimee forced her voice to be calm. She did not want to panic him. "Everything's ok, Charlie. Calm down."

Charlie did not calm down. He tried to sit up, but he stopped short and his hands shot to his head and he groaned as the blood rushed to his head.

"Charlie, calm down," Aimee tried again. She put a hand on his arm, but he knocked it away with his elbow.

"Don't touch me," He said in the same dead quiet voice..

"I'm here, Charlie. It's ok, it's ok. You're back." Without realizing it, she had started crying.

He finally sat up. His breathing was still coming out hard.

After a while, the panicked beeping on the machine slowed down. Charlie's breathing went back to normal. And he just sat there, unmoving, head in hands, staring down at the sheets.

Aimee sat on his bed next to him. He made no indication that he had noticed, but let go of his head. Then she put her arms around him and laid her head on his shoulder.

"It's ok," She whispered over and over again, "It'll be ok."

Charlie let her hold him. His gaze shifted to scan the room once again and his other hand dropped to his lap. He was quiet once again.

They stayed like that for a few minutes. Then Aimee noticed a button on her side of the bed. It had a little picture thing of a stick person and Aimee assumed it was a picture of a nurse and pressed it. After a few seconds a nurse came bustling in. She went, "Oh, my, you're awake!" with a warm smile on her face. Aimee lifted her head to look at her and she and Charlie stared at her with blank faces.

"I'll call the Healer in charge of him," She said, "Wait just a second." And then she left. Aimee put her head back on Charlie's shoulder. After a minute, a Healer came into the room, chart and clipboard ready.

"How are you feeling, Monsieur Houston?" He asked kindly. He shot a look at Aimee and waved his hand a little to signal that she should get off now. Aimee begrudgingly let go of Charlie, and stood up. He looked up to see her go and then fixed his gaze on the Healer, who bustled to his side and took a stethoscope, pressing it to his heart.

"Not to worry, your parents have already been contacted and they're on their way," he smiled kindly at Charlie, but he did not answer or smile back. "Sit back down, now. That's it," he said, pushing Charlie gently back until his head rested on the pillows. He rested the stethoscope in different places and looked back at Aimee over his shoulder.

"How long has it been since he woke up or showed any signs of consciousness?"

Aimee blinked. "Uhh…" Charlie's eyes flicked in her direction and he stared at her. The Healer and nurse looked at her expectantly. "Fifteen, twenty minutes, I think?" It came out sounding like a question.

"Why didn't you call one of the Healers? Someone should have been contacted immediately to attend to him."

"Uhh…" It occurred to Aimee just now that she could have pressed the green button when Charlie had started panicking instead of just standing there and telling him to calm down and saying everything was ok, especially if everything was _not_ ok.

"I didn't want her to," Charlie said suddenly, and the both the Healer and nurse turned their attention to Charlie.

"Oh, good, your vocal chords are working perfectly fine. I think you'll make a quick recovery, Monsieur Houston." He smiled at Charlie once again.

The door swung open and Mr. and Mrs Houston hurried in. Once they saw Charlie sitting on the bed, Mrs. Houston cried, "Oh, Charlie, honey!" and practically shoved aside the healer to embrace Charlie, who stood still for a moment, and then he slowly put his arms around her as he wasn't sure who she was.

Michael, Adelaide and Benji ran into the room. Aimee saw Benji crack a smile finally. Adelaide looked ready to jump on Charlie the way Mrs. Houston had, but she restrained herself and instead opted for bursting into tears and hugging Aimee.

"Madame and Monsieur Houston," The Healer started, "We need to do some tests to make sure he's ok, so he can be released in a few days," He walked forward, "May I?" Mrs. Houston sniffled and nodded. She and her husband took a few steps back. Aimee joined Adelaide and Benji in the back of the room. The Healer shone a tiny flash light in his eyes, and Charlie narrowed his eyes. He moved it side to side.

"Do you remember what month it is?" He asked gently.

"December," Charlie said in the same quiet voice. The Healer clicked his flashlight off and gestured to everyone in the room.

"Do you know who they are? Are they familiar to you?" Adelaide grabbed Aimee's arm and dug her nails into it. Aimee bit her lip and let her.

"Yeah," Charlie said slowly after scanning the room. The Healer sat him up again.

"Can you tell me their names?" The Healer busied himself sticking some device thing into Charlie's ear and Charlie leaned toward the opposite side. He scrunched up his nose a little and furrowed his eyebrows in a trademark Charlie-is-annoyed sort of way.

"Michael, Mum, Dad, Benji, Adelaide and Aimee," He recited after a moment, locking eyes with each of them as he said their names. Then he went back to his Charlie-is-annoyed face and looking sideways at the device in his ear.

"How are they related to you?" The Healer asked once again. Charlie looked confused as to why he was being asked so many questions.

"Michael's my brother, those are my parents, and Adelaide, Benji and Aimee are my friends."

"Good, good," The Healer said absentmindedly, removing the device from Charlie's ear and scribbling some notes in his chart. Charlie rubbed his ear and looked at the Healer in a way that stated that he did not like him.

"What's your school's name?"

"Why are you asking me so many questions?" Charlie snapped in an irritated tone. He was still speaking in the same low, quiet voice unlike the normal, somewhat loud voice he used in humorous, amused tones whenever he spoke. Aimee did not like the change.

The Healer chuckled. "I am making sure that your memory is intact. Many people who have survived cases such as yours tend to have amnesia."

Charlie did not answer.

"Now, do you remember what was happening before you lost consciousness?" The Healer asked gently and Charlie frowned at him.

"What?"

"Before you went unconscious. Do you remember anything?" The Healer insisted, and then he looked back at his clipboard to make some notes. He did not notice Charlie's silence.

"Charles?" The Healer asked again, using Charlie's real name. Charlie only blinked at him.

"What day is it?" Charlie asked sharply. There was a note of panic in his voice. The Healer stared at him, and his face fell.

"Do you have any immediate memories? Anything of what you were doing before you found yourself here?"

Charlie was quiet for some time, and he stared at the blankets in a daze, eyes narrowed and silent in concentration. The Healer waited patiently for him.

"What day is it?" Charlie repeated, but this time his voice was barely audible.

"The twenty-third. December the 23rd," Adelaide answered suddenly, and Charlie looked genuinely shocked.

"So we're already out of school?" He asked incredulously, "The Ball is already over and I missed it?"

"No," Aimee said in a dazed voice, "You were there."

The words left Charlie speechless and he could just stare at her.

"Charles," The Healer insisted. "What is the last thing you remember?" This time Charlie turned to look at him.

"I don't know," he said quietly in a puzzled manner.

"No," Adelaide whispered. Her hands grasped Aimee's arm tighter.

The Healer stood up and faced Charlie's parents. "I'm afraid that your son might have lost some of his memories. Sometimes this happens when the oxygen isn't taken to the brain fast enough," The Healer sighted, and Mrs. Houston put her hand to her mouth and she emitted something between a sob and a whimper, "he may recuperate, but one never knows. I will return later to check on him." With that the Healer left the room, the nurse trailing after him.

Charlie blinked at the door, trying to take back his memories, but they would not return to him.

Adelaide fainted.

XxXxX

Two days after Charlie had woken up, he had recovered considerably. They'd celebrated Christmas there in the hospital. He was still quiet, and spoke if necessary, if at all, but in the same low voice, one you had to be near him to hear. He slept most of the time, and apart from when he'd woken up, Aimee wasn't alone with him. There was always someone else in the room.

And Aimee did not _want_ to be alone with him.

He knew why. He was aware of the fact that Aimee now knew he was a werewolf. She didn't speak to him often, she didn't involve herself in long conversations with him anymore. She was civil enough to him, but most of the time, they behaved as if they were complete strangers to each other.

Which was weird, really, since she came to see him everyday, all day, anyway.

Aimee hated it, and she hated herself for acting this way, but she couldn't help it. She did't know how to act around him anymore.

She wanted the old Charlie back. She wanted the Charlie without the dark secrets and the lies, the Charlie who didn't fear the full moon, the Charlie without the sunken eyes and the tired face.

Aimee had forgiven him for their fight, but Charlie didn't know this, nor of the fight, anyway, so what was there to 'forgive' Charlie for, if he didn't even know what? She was still somewhat angry at him; the words that had cut through her like a knife and had hurt her more than she cared to admit. She didn't know why his words had hurt her that much, she'd been called worse things before, and people had said really bad things to her and they had never made her cry. The orphanage had forced her to build walls around herself, and once at Beauxbatons, she'd let her guard down, she'd trusted too much, and now she'd been hurt.

She'd grown distant from him in very little time and Aimee did not like it. Charlie drowning had screwed things up so quickly and Aimee was still adjusting to the changes.

On the fourth day, on late evening, Michael volunteered to stay with Charlie during the night. Charlie's parents had been staying up all night with him and they were tired, with circles under their eyes and sad expressions.

So they left for the night, and Adelaide and Benji did, too. Aimee stayed behind for a moment longer while Michael apparated to his apartment to get his things for the night. So for now, she was alone with him in the room.

She sat in an armchair, abandoned at the far end of the room.

"I had a dream last night," Charlie said softly, and Aimee turned to look at him, "And I remembered what happened at the ball."

"What do you remember?" Aimee asked calmly, but her heartbeat quickened. She pulled her knees to her chest, resting her arms around them.

He was wearing pajama pants and a t-shirt. He'd made a big fuss about wearing the paper dress, as he called it, from the hospital, and he'd finally convinced all the healers to let him wear normal clothes. They'd agreed, but he had to wear something comfortable and that would enable him to take it off quickly should there be an emergency.

"You called me a Death Eater."

"And you called me a bitch," Aimee responded, though she meant her words to be calm, they had an icy edge to it. She drew her knees to herself tighter. Charlie didn't seem to know how to respond to that. He was quiet again, and then said, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."

Aimee turned away and stared into space, but she felt Charlie's eyes on her. "Why _didn't _you?"

"I had my reasons."

"Which are…?" Aimee asked coldly. What was wrong with her? She hate dbeing called a bitch and now she was acting like one.

Charlie glared at her for a second before answering in a hard voice, "This isn't just anything, Aimee. This is my secret, and what I've guarded with care. Should anyone find out, my life, or at least what I _pretend_ is my life," he added with a touch of black sarcasm, "would be ruined."

Aimee did not answer and stared resolutely ahead of her.

"Don't you see, Aimee?" Charlie asked in a frustrated tone. "This werewolf thing changes _everything_. I won't be able to get a job, I'll live scared that someone might find out, and I'll kill myself over the fact that there may be people, people I call _friends_, who may turn their back on me as soon as I tell them what I truly am."

"You know me, Charlie," Aimee said darkly, "You _know_ I'm not like that."

"Aimee, you have to understand. You're _Aimee Potter_. Everybody knows who you are. And should it slip from your mouth that I'm a werewolf, no matter how small the hint, it would be disastrous for _me_. With anybody else would be different. I'm just trying to live a normal life here."

Aimee looked away, "Then why are we friends, if it's so _disastrous_ for you to be with me?" She snapped at her knees.

"Because I-" Charlie started, but then stopped, "I don't know, Aimee. You just become friends with a person and that's it."

"Then why did you not trust me to be able to keep you being a werewolf secret? I don't gossip. I'm discrete. I won't tell anybody in anger or vengeance should we ever fight again." Aimee answered angrily, and she let her dark hair fall into her face, hiding herself from Charlie's view. She didn't want him to see her hot tears.

Charlie looked angrily at her and Aimee heard the sheets rustle and the bed creak as he moved. She looked up to see him standing with difficulty. He started to walk towards her, then noticed the needle that was implanted in his hand.

"Charlie, don't-" She stood, but Charlie gripped the tube and ripped the needle out, and he winced slightly at the pain,

"What are you doing?" Aimee made to push the button with gteh nurse picture on it, but Charlie stepped forward, grabbed her shoulders roughly and shook her.

"Stop it." He growled, "Stop that incessant complaining. You're making a big deal out of this. I'm sorry for all the things I said to you, but you aren't exactly innocent in this case." Aimee stared at him a second, then slowly stepped away from his grasp.

They stared angrily at each other until Aimee said curtly, "Your hand is bleeding." Then she strode swiftly past him to the bed and pressed the green button, calling for the nurse. She turned around and they glared at each other, Charlie's face weary and Aimee's angry. She walked to the door and opened it, but before she disappeared behind it, she turned to look at him one last time.

"It wasn't the things that you said that really pissed me off. It's the things you _didn't_ say that hurt the most." Her voice held back emotion, and she was shaking. Then she slammed the door and left the hospital, leaving Charlie to deal with the nurse who was shocked to see him standing and without the needle stuck to his hand.


	30. Ice Skating for Dummies

**A/N: Enjoy!**

Charlie was released from the hospital the next day. Aimee now had nothing to do with herself, she was bored and moody and she found herself staring into space thinking about Charlie and what had become of them now.

Hermione and Ron came to visit. Ginny came, too. They distracted Aimee from her worries and Hermione helped her with the homework she did not understand. All of them now had new charms and jinxes to learn, provided by Mad-Eye Moody himself. He strolled past them while they were talking animatedly in the kitchen, discussing Quidditch teams, and Moody spontaneously decided that young adults like themselves should not be hanging about talking about nonsense, so he gave them a list of ten jinxes and ordered them to learn them by the time he was back at the house the next time he came by.

Moody had a reputation for punishing in the most unusual ways, so they obeyed and learned them faithfully and had them all down a week later.

"I heard the lake froze over," Ginny said, stretched out on her bed, "We could go skating."

Aimee looked up from her book. Sirius' house had a huge library. "Really? I'm tired of being cooped up in this place. We should totally go!"

"Now?" Hermione asked skeptically, looking at her watch.

"Yeah!" Ginny said excitedly, and she and Aimee started going about the room, pulling on their boots and jamming hats onto their heads. Hermione stared at them for a second, sighted, and then said begrudgingly, "Well, alright."

Ten minutes later they had somehow convinced the boys to come, and they made their way over to the lake, which was now a sheet of sparkling white ice.

Ginny wasted no time charming her sneakers to have an icy edge and then jumped on the ice with her homemade ice sneaker-skates. She skated swiftly, surely for a few seconds and then made a quick turn, sending bits of ice scattering. "Oh, yeah. I'm _good_." She said smugly, grinning, and then took of again, not bothering to wait for anyone else.

Each of them made the same charm as Ginny, and soon Aimee was wobbling on her skates over the ice, clinging to Hermione in an effort to stay upright.

"Skating was never my thing," Aimee admitted begrudgingly, looking down at the floor, "In fact, I've never had the chance to claim it before now."

"Oh, yes," Hermione said sarcastically, rolling her eyes, "I think I noted from the way you're _not letting go of me_ that you've never skated." Aimee could only grin sheepishly at Hermione.

"Ron!" Ginny barked at the redhead sitting glumly on the grass by the frozen lake, arms crossed, "Get your lazy buttocks out here and skate!" She commanded, jerking a finger at the ice at her feet.

"I don't skate," Ron deadpanned, and it was left at that.

Harry, on the other hand, had apparently the same experience over the ice as Aimee. But unfortunately, he had no person to cling to, except Ginny, who insisted that he had to learn by himself because if you grabbed a person then 'you wouldn't be skating, you'd just be dragged by said person'.

The effect of this action was that Harry was now lying on his bum on the ice, blinking confusedly after his first fall.

"Ok, pull me," Aimee commanded, holding Hermione's shoulders, and Hermione grudgingly skated forward, dragging Aimee behind her. Aimee was content until she noticed that with every inch she moved, her legs became far and more far apart, as the skated were each going in opposites directions.

"Hermione?" Aimee started, attempting to force her feet to go on the same direction, "Not so fast!" She yelped.

"Aimee, we're _barely_ moving," Hermione said exasperatedly, but Aimee shrieked and fell to the floor facefirst. Hermione whirled around and blinked at the space in which Aimee's head had been seconds before.

"Here," Aimee groaned, tugging at the bottom of Hermione's jeans, and Hermione looked down. "Oh." Hermione said simply, "You fell."

"Well noticed," Aimee growled, struggling to stand up by pulling on Hermione's arm. Finally she was up and decided that Hermione was not a good ice skate instructor. She turned to look for Ginny, and when she spotted her, made to walk á la penguin over to her, but her skate slipped out from under her and she found herself staring up at the sky once again, while Hermione looked over, her, going, "Tsk, tsk, tsk."

"Not a born skater, are you, Aimee?" Hermione commented lightly, shaking her head. She made to skate away, but Aimee reached out and grabbed her leg.

"Help me up!" Aimee sqwacked desperately at her, but Hermione had not anticipated Aimee grabbing her ankle and she, too, toppled to the ice beside Aimee. Both girls lay groaning in the ground for a moment before Hermione started getting up, saying, "Don't ever do that again, Aimee."

Aimee, on the other hand, had other plans, and used Hermione as stairs to help herself up, knocking Hermione down on the way.

"Aimee!" Hermione whined, rubbing her head and looking up at her, squinting so hard one eye was closed.

"Gosh, this is hard," Aimee said dryly, and stuck the end of her blade to the ice. It sunk more than she thought it would, and when she tried to pull it out, she failed.

There was a deep rumble underneath her, and Aimee winced.

Then there was a cracking sound, and both Aimee and Hermione looked down at the ice. A fine line was running through the ice, coming from Aimee's skate and going opposite ways. Aimee pulled on her ice skate- shoe thing and managed to take it out, but the hole was still there, and she back away.

"Aimee…" Hermione started, her voice trembling as she watched the crack's progress around them, "What did you do?"

Aimee had no time to answer because the two cracks that had started where the end of her blade had struck the ice joined around them, there was another deep rumble, another cracking noise and with a splash, the ice beneath them sunk and they were both sent screaming into the icy waters.

They emerged seconds later, gasping for breath and teeth chattering, clinging at the edge of the ice around them.

"Aimee, you-you're s-s-so s-stupid!" Hermione shrieked, her voice shaking because of the cold. Aimee took no notice and started climbing up the surface desperately. "Help!" She croaked, too cold to keep moving. She was barely aware of Hermione climbing up to the ice around them, shivering, soaked wet.

Ginny had started skating towards them in a hurry, but she'd been on the other side of the lake and was taking too long.

"I'm coming!" Harry, on the other hand, had been a few feet away, but was not been able to skate more than a few inches before sliding and falling on his rump in what looked like a pretty painful fall. "Ow."

Other cracks had started to form, and the ice had started to break into jigsaw puzzle-looking pieces, forming blocky platforms that tottered once you stepped on them.

Aimee gave one last heave and pulled herself out of the water, shivering. The ice blades she'd charmed on her Pumas had broken off. Hermione had managed to get out, too, and was lying trembling on the ice. She was glaring at Aimee.

"S-sorry," Aimee tried to say, but she was shaking so hard the words came out as more of a gurgle.

"HERMIONE! AIMEE!" Ron yelled at them from the edge. He jumped on the ice, shoes and all, and started running towards them. So far he had made more progress than Harry, who was crawling closer to them but had stopped once he'd seen the lines making their way across the ice, making cracking, rumbling noises.

"Are you ok?" Harry shouted at them instead. He struggled to get up but his skates kept slipping on the ice.

"No," Aimee grunted. Ginny had arrived and was tugging on her arm, helping her up. Next to her, Ron was picking up Hermione bridal style.

"Oh," Hermione said in a light-headed tone, "This is nice."

"Take 'em off!" Ron called to Harry, meaning the skates. Harry struggled to take his wand out of his jacket pocket, then finally wrenched it free, gave it a sharp jerk, and the ice on his own trainers melted into a puddle. He then picked himself up and raced to the girls. Aimee all but jumped on him the second he reached her, flinging her arms over his neck for support. Then Harry and Ginny half-dragged, half-walked her away, wobbling on the unstable ice.

"That was a stupid idea," Aimee giggled, feeling delirious. She was so cold it was ridiculous. So ridiculous she started giggling insanely, making Harry and Ginny look at each other with horror-struck faces and then back down at her.

Suddenly, there was another rumble beneath them and Ginny gave a little shriek. The three of them looked down and stared in awe as the ice around them broke off and the three of them were left standing on a piece of isolated ice floating away from the mainland. Or main-ice, anyway.

Ron turned and grimaced at the sight of Harry and Ginny screaming for help, and Aimee giggling stupidly while leaning on Harry, almost knocking him over. Ron's clothes got wet as the icy water from Hermione seeped into his jacket and scarf. Ron looked at Hermione, the back at his friends and groaned.

"God, can't _any_ of them take proper care of themselves?"

He put Hermione down, making sure he deposited her on the ground feet-down, who stood for a second before touching her head, as if dazed, then sank down to the floor, groaning. She blinked a few times and tried to focus on the sight of Ron running across the frozen lake to get to Harry, Ginny, and Aimee.

"Ron!" Ginny shrieked desperately, "Do something!" Ron was at the edge, searching for a way to get them back. He smacked his head repeatedly with his hand, as if doing so would make thinking easier.

It didn't.

"I'm getting a mighty headache here," Aimee gurgled, swaying. She blinked a few times as her vision blurred. "Whoa…" Blinking was not helping. Dark spots had started to appear in her line of vision, clouding everything in black. There was a point where she could see no longer, and only heard Ginny desperate shouting of "STOP STANDING THERE LIKE AN IDIOT AND DO SOMETHING!" for a few seconds before losing consciousness.

XxXxXxXxX

"You went _skating_ on the frozen lake?" Mrs. Weasley repeated, and smacked a bag of hot water on Aimee's forehead. Aimee swayed back at the sudden force but recovered her posture. Mrs. Weasley then popped a thermometer into Hermione's mouth, who was sporting a hot bag on her head similar to Aimee's.

"Not my idea," She mumbled, but Sirius snapped, "Keep your mouth closed. The temperature won't register right if you keep talking." Hermione shrank back and kept her lips firmly closed.

"Good," Sirius growled.

'We thought it'd be fun," Ginny said in a small voice. She looked around at the others as if prompting them to back her up, but Harry and Ron kept quiet.

"Sure," Sirius scoffed, "_Fun_."

"But no one was seriously hurt," Aimee pointed out, trying to be helpful. Then she sneezed.

"Bless you," A few voices answered.

"Thank you," Aimee sniffed, rubbing her nose with the blanket that had been draped over her shoulders.

"Well, yes, except for pneumonia, maybe," Sirius answered sarcastically. "You're lucky the water didn't freeze you to death. Or that you didn't drown after the shock of so much cold."

"We know," Hermione groaned. She blew her nose on a tissue and tossed it to the small garbage can at her feet. "If you ask me, I don't think Aimee should have sunk her blade into the ice anyway."

Mrs. Weasley shushed Hermione again.

"How was _I_ supposed to know the ice was so thin?" Aimee sqwacked indignantly, but Mrs. Weasley shushed her, too, and both girls had to stop talking.

"Now," Mrs. Weasley took the thermometer out of Hermione's mouth and checked it. "You two get upstairs and take nice hot baths and some rest. Come on, up!" Aimee and Hermione both groaned and shuffled away to their bedrooms, their damp hair hanging in front of their faces, clutching their blankets around themselves. Then Mrs. Weasley turned to the rest of the lot.

And the sermon began. Mrs. Weasley, with Sirius butting in every so often, started with a what they thought they were doing, and why they hadn't been careful and couldn't they see what a fright they'd given them both?

After a relaxing hot bath and a few hours worth of rest, Aimee felt better. At least good enough to go back to the living room and read a book taken from Sirius' library. Both of Mrs. Weasley and Sirius had somewhat forbidden them to leave the house the rest of the day. It was a shame, really, because they'd only gotten back in time for lunch. Now they had the rest of the afternoon ahead of them, and Aimee was once again bored.

But that didn't mean she was too eager to go back to doing dangerous stuff and getting, oh, for example, frozen in a lake.

Sitting in front of the warm fireplace was pleasant. But Aimee had never been one to read for more than an hour before she grew bored with the activity, so she soon grew restless and was wondering what to do.

Aimee was taking into consideration making herself a sandwich when the doorbell rang. Of course, Aimee being desperate for any kind of activity that would entertain her, she shouted, "I'll get it!" to the main public (which was nowhere to be seen, by the way) and went for the door. She chucked her book over her shoulder and hummed as she made her way to the door.

But when she answered the door, she was very much surprised. Because standing there shuffling his feet was Charlie.

Aimee blinked at him, wondering what the heck he'd be doing all the way here in England.

"Hey," he said, giving her a half-smile, as if unsure whether Aimee would greet him by slamming the door in his face or throwing her arms around his neck.

"Hi," Aimee answered faintly. "What… What are you doing here?"

Charlie paused, as if he didn't know himself why he was there. "Uh… well, I wanted to talk to you. And apologize, I suppose. And explain. 'Cause I can't stand you being mad at me." He cocked his head as if thinking. "It was pretty boring not talking to you, actually," He added thoughtfully.

"Um."

Aimee cursed herself. Here was Charlie, standing in her doorway, coming all the way from Paris, and all she could respond was _Um_?

"You want to go for a walk?" Charlie asked, jerking his head to the outside world covered in snow.

"Um…" Again with the _um_'s! Could she not formulate any actual words now? "I'd have to ask Sirius… I'm sort of not allowed to leave the house…" She jerked her hand over her shoulder. "I'll be right back." Then she scurried away into the kitchen.

"Sirius!" She said once she saw him in the kitchen drinking coffee. He looked up. "Aimee!" He answered in the same flustered tone she'd used, only he'd been mocking her.

"Can I go take a walk?" She asked really fast. She was leaning on the door frame, half-in and half-out of the room.

"_Why_?" Sirius asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Uh… I'm going with a friend of mine. I really need to talk to him." Aimee did not need to pretend the urgency on her voice. Sirius put down his cup of coffee.

"The same one who was in the accident?" He asked, perplexed.

"Yeah." Aimee nodded her head furiously.

"Well…" Sirius started to say, but Aimee had already said, "Thanks!" and hurried out before Sirius could say 'ok'.

Aimee ran towards the closet, grabbed her coat, a pair of mittens, a scarf, and went back to the door, jamming her hat on her head.

"Let's go," She said to Charlie, pulling on her coat.

"Um, ok," Charlie answered uncertainly at her hurriedness.

Once Aimee had closed the door behind her and they were walking down the sidewalk while Aimee practically choked herself putting on her scarf, Aimee realized she didn't know what to say. Apparently, neither did Charlie, so they walked in silence.

Over the past week, Aimee had thought the situation through. She'd been a real bitch about it and she knew that she should be the one apologizing. What had caused her to behave like that, anyway? Aimee mused on this as she pulled on her left mitten.

"Ok, I'll say it straight out," Charlie said suddenly, and Aimee dropped her right mitten on purpose to avoid looking at Charlie. Charlie waited as Aimee bent down to pick it up, slowly. Then he watched her put the soggy mitten on her right hand. "I'm sorry if you felt betrayed and left out and bad or whatever because I didn't tell you before. I should've. So I'm sorry." Aimee avoided his eyes and played with her scarf, pretending to adjust it.

"Man, I'm _really_ bad at apologies," He added as an afterthought

"Um, I should be the one apologizing." Aimee said, still looking down. "I freaked out. It was just too new to me. And, well, I understand about the whole keeping-it-a-secret. I shouldn't have taken it too personally. I mean, while you were in the hospital, it was all… different, you know? I'm sorry for being all angsty on you."

"Ah," Charlie nodded, looking like he hadn't expected Aimee to blurt out apologies.

"And I'm sorry for all the bad things I said to you, and I'm sorry for accusing you to be a Death Eater, and I'm sorry for being such a hard-head when you tried to apologize before." Aimee added. She wanted to get it all out now that she was doing it. She wanted it all out, instead of just doing it half-way. "I behaved like a jerk."

Charlie was quiet for a few seconds, but then he said, very, very quietly, "Well, you did behave like a jerk." Aimee resisted smacking him on the arm. They hadn't exactly made up. All that was left was for Charlie to accept her apology.

"But I'll forgive you," He conditioned, and Aimee let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, "If you forgive me."

"Ok, then," Aimee said carefully, nodding, "I forgive you."

"Then I forgive you, too."

Aimee smiled. "Friends again?" She asked hopefully. She felt a sudden relief, as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"Don't get all mushy on me. That only works on girls," He said with mock disgust, and Aimee opened her mouth in indignation, "But whatever. Friends." And they hugged. Aimee smiled as she buried her face in his shoulder. He smelled nice and felt good. Then they kept walking and the two of them avoided each other's eyes.

"Just one thing," Charlie asked suddenly, and Aimee looked up at him. "Why weren't you allowed out of the house?"

"Oh," Aimee said, laughing a little to let the tension out, "_That_."

"Long story?" Charlie enquired, one eyebrow raised.

"Yeah," Aimee said weakly, scratching her head and looking the other way.

"I have lots of time," Charlie told her innocently, and Aimee gave another awkward laugh.

"Long story short, we went ice skating," Aimee said, digging her hands in her pockets, "And somehow, I managed to single-handedly break the ice and fall into the freezing water, taking Hermione with me."

"Ah." Charlie laughed, as if imagining the scenario, "I doubt your godfather was very happy with that."

"Yep," Aimee agreed ruefully, shaking her head, "He was pretty pissed off."

"I can imagine that."

They fell in silence again. Aimee could hear the crunching of snow beneath her boots. She swayed her long coat by swishing her hands inside her pockets and then stopped. Charlie entertained himself by looking at the leafless trees they were passing.

"The night of the accident was a full moon," Charlie said quietly, and Aimee looked at him, but stayed silent, waiting for him to continue. "I was angry and it made the transformation worse. And I somehow managed to rip open the boards covering the window and get out."

_I bet _that_ tops what I managed to do today. _Aimee thought ironically, but she kept quiet.

Charlie looked up at the sky. His easy smile had faded. "It wasn't long before I could smell blood and it became too much."

Aimee looked down at the floor, not knowing what to say to this. She didn't think Charlie had confided this much to anyone about the night of the accident.

"Everyone thinks I just 'fell' in the river," Charlie said with a hint of irony, "Truth is, I jumped."

Aimee felt a shiver run down her spine as if she had taken off her coat. The horror of what Charlie had just confessed was like falling into the icy waters of the lake that morning.

"I was afraid that if anybody came along, I'd bite him." He paused. "The Wolfsbane potion only lets you keep your mind, but you still have the werewolf instincts to kill. The temptation's still there. Before, I could control that longing to be free. But anger sort of blinded me, and the instinct to hunt, to… to _kill_, became more insistent." Charlie dug his hands deeper into his pockets. "Dangerous feelings like that usually change things."

"Why are you telling me this?" Aimee asked quietly, looking down at the floor.

"Because I want you to know, to understand. I don't want to keep secrets from you anymore," Charlie said decisively, "Look how it turned out the _last_ time I kept something from you." He laughed bitterly. His laugh had a dark hint to it.

"Yeah," Aimee agreed softly. They walked in silence again. Aimee thought of what to say, but nothing seemed appropriate for this situation. Usually, if there was ever a time they ran out of conversation, she'd do something random or say something funny to make him laugh.

Now, however, she wondered if she'd ever feel like doing that again in Charlie's presence.

The wind started blowing and tugged at Aimee's hair. She hadn't bothered to brush it after her shower, and, as always, its waves looked untamed and messy under her hat. She instinctively reached for her long tendrils of black hair and absentmindedly started running her fingers through it.

So, what had actually happened the night he got bitten? How had his sister died? Aimee found herself wondering these questions. They weren't really talking, just walking silently. Soon, they reached a small coffee shop. Charlie gestured to it. "Want to get some coffee?" He asked.

"Sure," Aimee answered, and they headed inside.

It was small, and a few people were seated in tiny tables. It wasn't very crowded, so they got to order their coffees pretty quickly. When they sat down, Aimee finally had the courage to ask.

"What happened?" She blurted out, and Charlie raised his eyebrows at her over his coffee cup. "The night when your sister died, I mean." She explained quietly. She didn't really expect Charlie to be this open with her, but it was worth a try.

Charlie took a big gulp of his coffee before speaking. He looked out the window for a few seconds. Aimee looked down at her coffee mug and stirred it with her spoon. She probably shouldn't have asked that.

"Two weeks before school started," Charlie said suddenly and softly. His eyes were still looking out the window, watching the people go by. "That's when… when _he_ came."

Aimee looked up at him, but kept silent, waiting for him to keep talking. "Late at night. I've heard he doesn't usually travel by day. Emily was already asleep, actually."

Aimee stared into space. She imagined a hooded figure walking to a big, beautiful house. It would be raining, and his followers would be right behind him, wands hidden by their long, dirty cloaks. Then there would be thunder, and Voldemort's twisted, semi-human face would be lightened, but just for a second. One would be able to easily see the evil hidden in his sick grin.

"He took us completely by surprise. I woke up to the sound of my parent's shouting. I made my way to the noise. One of the Death Eaters grabbed me. I hadn't thought to bring my wand." Charlie's voice hardened, like he regretted this fact more than anything.

A thrashing Charlie, yelling for his parents. He would fight, but then more Death Eaters would take him, maybe hit him until he gave up. Charlie was that way. He never gave up.

"Voldemort tried to get the information out of my parents, but they refused to oblige to his wishes. He tortured them, both of them. I managed to escape. I wanted to get Emily out. But when I came to her room, she wasn't there."

Aimee imagined Charlie watch his parents screaming in pain. She imagined the sick feeling in his stomach and the panic in his eyes. Then she imagined him running through the house and burst open the door to his little sister's room, only to find the covers of her bed strewn on the floor.

Then he would turn around to face a Death Eater that had followed him, and he would be captured again, dragged back to Voldemort his parents.

"Voldemort knew my parents' weak points. He knew they'd do anything for us. Michael had already moved out, so it was only me and Emily. They'd gotten to her before I could. And they'd brought her before him."

A scream of a little girl echoed in Aimee's ear, but she only heard it in her mind.

"He tried to convince them by…" Charlie stopped. He looked down at the table and he let go of his coffee mug.

"He tortured you, too." Aimee said softly. It was not a question. It was a statement. Charlie locked eyes with her, and even if he didn't respond, Aimee knew she was right.

"They refused, still. So, without even as much as a threat, he… he killed her. Just like that. He killed her." Charlie stopped talking. His calm face betrayed the horrors he'd witnessed, but his eyes portrayed the pain he'd gone through.

Aimee closed her eyes. She imagined Voldemort jerking his head to one of the Death Eaters. Then that Death Eater would ready his wand. Aimee suddenly remembered the way her own parents had been killed. A flash of bright green light. Cold laughter. A tear formed underneath Aimee's closed eyelashes, but it didn't slide down her cheek. Both of her hands were cupped over her mouth.

Aimee imagined Charlie screaming for his sister, watching her die. It would be a painful thing to watch. Emily's eyes would be looking straight at Charlie. They would show him how scared she was. Her parents would be screaming to let her go. Aimee heard thunder in her mind. Then there would be a flash of bright green light, and Emily's limp body would fall to the floor.

"He threatened to do the same to me. My father told him, everything he wanted to know. So they let me go. I ran out the door once they let go of me. I wanted to escape and look for help. But Voldemort sent a werewolf after me."

Voldemort would look at one of the Death Eaters. "Get him back," he'd say. Then the Death Eater would call one of the werewolves. Aimee imagined Charlie running, and then looking over his shoulder and seeing a huge wolf behind him, growling and howling at the moon. Charlie would fight, he'd try to get away, but in the end the animal would bite him, leave him unconscious and bleeding and near death. Then it would look at Charlie's bloody body and howl at the moon, claiming its victory. Then the werewolf would walk away, leaving only a mess and ruined lives behind.

"That's what happened," Charlie finished in the same low, quiet voice he'd used when he'd first woken up, back at the hospital. He brought his coffee to his lips, blinking hard, and the hand holding his mug seemed to shake.

Aimee wanted to say something that would be appropriate following such a story as this, but she could think of nothing, so she kept quiet.

Visions of Charlie waking up at a hospital and remembering what had happened the night before went through Aimee's mind. She took a sip of her coffee and inspected what little was left.

"That's horrible, Charlie," Aimee said finally, and looked up at Charlie, gazing at his face.

"It's life, Aimee," Charlie answered bitterly. Aimee looked down again, unsure of what to respond to that. She had never expected to see such a side of Charlie, and in the last few days her view of him had changed drastically. He didn't seem the same Charlie she'd known just a few weeks ago.

XxXxXxXxXxX

When they walked back to the house, it was already dark out. Aimee could see her breath in a white puff in front of her. He walked her to the door and they said their goodbyes. She hugged him, and he looked taken aback at this gesture but hugged her back.

"I'm glad we made up. And I'm glad you came." She whispered.

"I'm glad, too," Charlie murmured back. Aimee could hear a hint of a smile. That was one thing she hadn't seen Charlie do lately.

"See you at the train station," Aimee smiled as she let go of him and opened the door. He nodded and waved. "Later, Aimee."

Once inside the house, Aimee closed the door behind her and leaned against it, then sighed deeply. She was feeling better than she had in days. She and Charlie were at least on talking terms now, even if it was a bit awkward.

She headed upstairs, and, even if it was still too early to go to bed, she put on her pajamas and got herself in bed and fell asleep within seconds.

**A/N: Review, please!**


	31. Back to Beauxbatons

**A/N: Enjoy!**

January 6th, Train Leaves for Beauxbatons

Aimee grunted as she made an attempt to pull her trunk, but it was too heavy. She looked around, then quickly flicked her wand, hidden in the sleeve of her coat. Then she picked up one end of the trunk and rolled it along. Now it wasn't really heavy at all.

"Need a hand with that?" A voice asked behind her in french. Aimee turned her head to look at the person over her shoulder. A guy, maybe 19 or 20, was standing behind her. Definitely not a student. And obviously not a wizard, due to the fact that he wore normal clothes and carried no wand.

Aimee smiled flirtatiously and answered in french. "No thanks. I can handle it." She gave one more step. _Please go away, please go away…_

"It looks heavy," The man said with a hint of machismo. Like Aimee couldn't have lifted the trunk herself, even without magic. _Puh-lease_. A year of Quidditch had done wonders to her arms.

"It isn't," Aimee assured him shortly before she kept on walking. The man appeared beside her. He was pretty good-looking, with dirty blond hair, olive skin, and brown eyes. "Let me take that," He insisted, and he took the handle of the trunk from her. Aimee cursed herself and grinded her teeth, then flicked her wand again. Her trunk returned to normal weight and he grunted as the weight took its toll.

"It's pretty heavy," He said through his teeth, "How did you manage to carry it so far?"

Aimee walked alongside him, trying hard not to laugh at the pulsing veins on his forearms at his struggle.

"Oh, it's not heavy at all," Aimee chirped, and gave the man her best innocent look. He smiled weakly.

"I'm Alexander," He introduced himself, and held out his free hand. Aimee adjusted the strap on her small backpack and shook his hand with hers. He had a firm handshake. "Aimee." Another flirtatious smile. _Be gone, man! Be intimidated!_

Alexander grasped Aimee's trunk tighter. "So where are you off to with this huge thing?" He asked conversionally, and Aimee sighed happily. "I'm going back to my school. It's a boarding school, and it's my last year."

"Really?" Alexander raised his eyebrows.

"Uh-huh," Aimee quipped. "Oh, there it is. That's the platform I'm off to." She grabbed the handle and pulled it out of Alexander's hand, immediately regretting lifting the spell. "Thanks for the help. I appreciate it." She stood up tall and started walking to the cluster of students.

"Aimee!" Alexander called behind her. He quickly walked to her. "Yeah?" Aimee called back.

"Just a question here," Alexander said, and he grinned cockily. "Could you give me your number?"

No _way_. Just a little flirting, and what did she get? _This._

"Uh, my number?" Aimee asked, stalling for time to think of something to say. How many digits did cell phone numbers have? All she could remember was that they were longer than phone numbers. Gah. How to get rid of him?

"Yeah. Your cell phone number." Alexander insisted. He reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a cell phone. He flicked it open and his thumb stood poised over the little number buttons. He waited expectantly for her to talk. Aimee saw no way out of this.

"Um, one-oh-three, eight-five-six, three-three-one." Aimee said. Was that a real cell phone number? Did it even _look_ like a real number?

Alexander raised his eyebrows once again as he squinted at the numbers on the tiny screen of his cell phone. "_That_'s your number?" He asked incredulously. From the looks of Alexander's face, apparently it didn't look like a real one.

"Yeah," Aimee said quickly, "My number's really weird. Well, I see one of my friends. Gotta go, bye!" She turned and fled into the crowd, then saw Corinne.

"Hi," Aimee chirped at her, and Corinne turned to look at her. "Oh, hey!" She hugged Aimee. "I haven't seen you all winter vacations long! How have you been?" She smiled. Corinne had cut her curly hair and it was now just below her chin. Her tiny cork-screw curls looked cuter and more sophisticated now. A plastic flower clip adorned her hair.

Aimee had always marveled at how Corinne and Adelaide had looked alike. Both had curly hair, but Adelaide's curls were less tight and more soft and bouncy than Corinne. Both had full lips and olive skin. Corinne's face was small, and her body was thin but had curves in all the right places. Corinne had big dark brown eyes, but Adelaide had hazel eyes, almost bordering on gray.

Aimee thought the question over honestly. "Good, good," She finally answered. She had almost answered great, but then decided not to. She hadn't been great. Good was an exaggeration of how she'd been. Her feelings had gone from miserable to depressed to anger, and at the end, to relief and nervousness and feeling awkward. Things with Charlie had been going up and down the past couple of weeks. "And you?"

"Really great. I had the most amazing winter vacation ever! My family went to the Swizz Alps and we learned how to ski! And they let me invite Jean, too, so it was really great!" She positively beamed at Aimee.

"I went back to England with my brother. We didn't go anywhere really, but it was great seeing all my friends from England and my brother again." Aimee smiled. Then Corinne dropped her voice and her expression became serious.

"I heard about Charlie," She said quietly, "The accident, I mean." Her eyes became truly sad. "When I heard he was in the hospital unconscious because he drowned, I really had been very scared."

"Yeah," Aimee added quietly. So many things had happened because of it, yet Aimee thought of nothing to say.

"But he's ok, right? He's coming back to school with us, isn't he?" Corinne asked and her voice took a hopeful tone.

"Yeah, he's…" Aimee paused. "He's ok now." But it was a lie. Charlie may be healed but he wasn't _really_ ok. He hadn't been since the beginning of sixth year.

When Aimee had found Adelaide and Benji, they had already taken up a compartment and were storing their trunks over their heads on the luggage rack. She dragged her trunk forward and smiled.

"_Salut_!" Aimee chirped happily. Adelaide turned and practically shrieked her name. "Aimee! _Tu est arrivé_!" She and Adelaide hugged giddily. Then they held each other by their elbows and inspected each other.

"You cut you hair!" Adelaide grinned.

"Just a little. I was getting split ends," Aimee fingered her hair. It was almost to her elbow. She was proud to have grown it so fast. Then Aimee noticed Benji behind Adelaide, just having given his trunk one last shove to get it to stay on the rack overhead.

He wiped his hands on his jeans and grinned at Aimee. "Hey." He greeted her. Aimee jumped on him to hug him.

"I missed all of you so much!" Aimee squealed at them excitedly. Then she let go of Benji.

"Yeah, it wasn't the same without you all," Benji agreed. "There was no one to worship my genius."

Aimee laughed. After such a serious Benji over vacations, it was good to have Benji's sense of humor back, even if whatever he said wasn't funny, at least he smiled.

Adelaide pulled her close and said quietly, "Charlie told me he came by to talk."

Aimee's enthusiastic smile faded and was replaced by a rueful one. She nodded. "Yeah. Everything's ok now, I think. We sorted everything out." Adelaide smiled approvingly, but behind that smile, Aimee knew Adelaide sensed that not everything would go back to exactly the way it had been before.

"I'm glad you did," Adelaide said quietly. Aimee turned to look at Benji, who had been looking at them exchange this with a serious look on his face.

When he wasn't smiling, Aimee felt sad and strange, like she had done something wrong. The only times when Benji wasn't grinning and joking around was when something was terribly, truly wrong. She hated to see Benji like that. It was rare that she did.

But at least this time, the serious look did not last long and he gave her a reassuring half-smile. He exhaled through his nose and turned to dig into his stuff, then pulled out a book.

Aimee busied herself by carrying her trunk and struggling to shove it onto the rack, then gave up and used her wand. Her trunk flew slowly over her head and placed itself neatly on the rack, next to the two other trunks. She then plopped down next to Benji.

Aimee decided to ask how Charlie had been doing since they'd been at the hospital and if they'd seen him lately. It had been a week since she'd seen Charlie, and she'd wondered constantly what he would be doing or how he'd be dealing with everything. As she opened her mouth to speak, the compartment door slid open, and speak of the devil, in stepped a tired-looking Charlie with a backpack slung over his shoulder and a trunk dragged behind him.

"Hi," He said, and his eyes flicked around until they found Aimee. She stood up to greet him.

But Adelaide was the first to jump him.

"Charlie!" She squealed, throwing her arms around him and throwing him off-balance. He regained his balance and took a step back.

"Get off, you animal," Charlie laughed and hugged her back, "You're choking me."

Adelaide laughed and let go off him. "Nice to see you, too." She said sarcastically, and laughed.

"Hi, Charlie," Aimee said shyly, and Adelaide took a step out of the way to let Aime pass. Charlie smiled back at her. "Hey." He said slowly, as if unsure that Aimee remembered their last encounter and would slap him.

"How have you been?" Aimee asked him earnestly.

"Fine."

"Fine?" Aimee repeated, abandoning the shy tone for a more flat one. She looked hard at Charlie.

He sighed and shrugged. "Ok, I haven't been fine. But I've gotten better."

"Good."

"God, you sound like you don't know each other," Benji said exasperatedly from behind her, and shoved Aimee aside. Charlie grinned at Benji and they hugged.

"_Ca va_?"

"_Ca va, et toi_?"

"_Bien_."

After the boys had exchanged their greetings, Charlie turned his attention back to Aimee.

"How have _you_ been?" Charlie asked her, continuing their conversation from before.

"Okay, I guess."

Adelaide and Benji watched the careful exchange between the two with rapt attention. Aimee and Charlie both became aware of this after an awkward silence, and both Adelaide and Benji cleared their throats and looked away as if they just hadn't been staring at them both, willing them to get along the way they used to by attempts of telepathy.

Benji started rummaging through his stuff, but Aimee could tell he was listening still to their conversation. Aimee found she had nothing to say to him.

Apparently Charlie had nothing to say either, because they both looked at each other in uncomfortable silence until Aimee sat down and started looking through her bag. Charlie looked away and sat down, too.

There was the whistle of the train as it started to gain speed and charged out of the station. Parents waved at their children, little brothers and sisters ran to catch up with the train but gave up as it gained more speed. Soon the people they were leaving behind were gone.

Aimee knew that normally people would be exchanging information on how they passed their winter vacations, but in this compartment, it was silent, because all four of them knew what had happened and no one made to comment about it.

The compartment door slid open and Corinne, Gaelle, and Sophie walked in to say hi. Aimee jumped up at the chance to escape the awkwardness in their compartment.

"Hey, girls! I haven't seen you for so long! How were your vacations?" Aimee smiled overenthusuatically. _Don't ask about me, don't ask about me, please assume I had a wonderful time in England and do not enquire about me…_

"Great!" Sophie squealed. She and Aimee hugged and Aimee moved on to hug Gaelle.

"Oh, tell me. What did you do?" Aimee asked, smile still in place.

"I stayed at home with all my brothers. They're hell, but their cuteness makes up for it," Sophie smiled. "Hi, Addie!" She added as Adelaide stood, up, and they squealed at each other in excitement. Then the girls greeted Charlie and Benji.

Then all five of them left the boys and walked down the hallway, talking excitedly and catching up. Aimee caught sight of Benji imitating their greetings in exaggerated girlish, high-pitched tones as they left and smiled.

Sophie was still talking about her stay at home with Aimee. "A pair of 7-year-old twin boys. Can you _imagine_ that?" Sophie gabbed happily. "They were _sooooo_ excited to see me and they seemed so determined to pass, like, _every_ waking moment of the day with me." Sophie giggled. "_Brothers_. What can you do?" Sophie smiled and shrugged as if long-suffering.

"Yeah," Aimee agreed, though not as cheerfully as Sophie had said it.

"So what have you guys been up to?" Adelaide asked them, smiling politely. Gaelle grinned. "I, like, Sophie, also have brothers and sisters. I stayed at Paris with them, but you cannot imagine how fun it was."

"Really?" Adelaide asked.

"Yup. I have two brother, both in their early twenties, and my older sister. She's just out of school, remember? She left two years ago. We had such a great time." Gaelle smiled at the memory.

"So how are you guys?" Corinne asked Adelaide and Aimee in general, receiving tight smiles and a monotone, "Fine," by each of them. Aimee was glad she'd asked how they were and not how they'd been.

"Oh, Addie, Aimee, I heard about Charlie," Sophie said, lowering her voice to a sad tone, "I'm glad he's ok."

"Yup," Adelaide answered shortly. Aimee noted the irony in her voice but doubted the other girls had noticed.

"It must've been really hard for all of you. I heard the accident was pretty bad," Sophie continued concerned.

"Yeah." Aimee said, letting out a short breath as she said it, "Bad doesn't begin to describe it," She added in a lower tone, saying this more to herself than the others. How come they always ended up talking about Charlie?

"I'm gotta go see my sister. You guys want to come with me?" Adelaide said, changing the subject. She hadn't spared much on Charlie and kept quiet.

"Sure," Corinne said, and the other two agreed.

"I'm going back." Aimee informed them, and started heading to their compartment, waving at the four of them, "I so gotta finish the homework I kept putting off all vacation long."

There was a bunch of 'See you later!'s and '_Salut_!'s called after her as Aimee left. As she walked, she went past Benji and Ivonne in a corner. His arm was around her and he was talking quietly to her. Their expressions were serious and she was nodding understandingly.

"I'm sorry I didn't write much all summer," Benji was saying, "A lot of stuff happened. I was really busy." He explained.

"I know. I got the letter in which you told me about what happened to Charlie. It's ok. I understand." Ivonne answered softly, and smiled up at him.

Aimee passed them and their voices faded. She couldn't help smiling smugly. Looks like they might get together after all. It was good to know that amidst all the drama lately, there was at least some romance with one of her friends. Maybe even two, if Adelaide and Jacques got together.

Aimee was thinking about this when she reached their compartment and completely forgot that she'd be alone with Charlie. When she slid open the door she froze when she saw Charlie there alone looking out the window.

They stared at each other for 2 seconds, Aimee standing there in surprise and Charlie with his eyebrows raised at her expression.

"This isn't the wrong compartment, if you're wondering," Charlie commented dryly. Aimee closed the door and sat down with jerky movements and without a word. Charlie turned back to the window.

"I saw Benji talking to Ivonne." Aimee said suddenly, desperate for any topic to discuss.

"Yeah, she came looking for him a while ago," Charlie answered humorlessly without averting his eyes from the window, as if it wasn't his best friend's love life they were talking about.

They fell silent again.

Aimee stared into space and put her feet up on the seats across from her. She slumped in her seat and crossed her arms, bored. She could read a book but was determined to make things right between her and Charlie again.

"Why have things become so awkward?" Aimee asked bluntly after a while, speaking English. She only spoke English when she spoke with Charlie, but her conversations with anyone were usually in French now that she was at Beauxbatons. Charlie locked eyes with her and shifted, sitting upright and uncrossing his arms. He rolled up his sleeves to his elbow and crossed his arms again before answering.

"I don't know."

Aimee was appalled at his answer. Did he have no more to say or did she have to make all the effort to make sure they started talking again?

"Things were like this when I got bitten back in sixth year." Charlie commented without feeling, "I suppose it's part of the process of getting over it."

Aimee frowned. "But I want to go back to the way things were before." Aimee said crossly, and straightened.

Charlie looked straight at Aimee. There was no trace of amusement in his eyes anymore, like the way it used to be the past year. Aimee found that she did not like this change.

"Aimee, when this sort of things happen, relationships change. Adelaide and Benji and I used to get along better back in fifth year. After the Bite, things were never the same. Yeah, we've gotten as close as we'll get to before I was bitten, but it _won't be the same_," Charlie said this last part more to himself than to Aimee, as if he had repeated this to himself for a long time.

Aimee crossed her arms. "You're wrong." She said in a low voice, eyes narrowed. "Yeah, so you're a werewolf." She stated, careful to keep her voice down, "But does it really _matter_?" Aimee stood up and sat down next to Charlie to be able to talk to him in a low voice and still be heard. "I mean, it's just once a month. You still keep your mind with that potion you take. But does that mean you're bad?"

Charlie said nothing.

"Werewolves may have fame of being evil thanks to their...um, people-eating... tendencies." Aimee finished slowly, as if unsure that was the right way to put it.

"_Tendencies_?" Charlie repeated flatly, one eyebrow raised.

"But have you ever really killed anyone?" Aimee asked quietly.

Charlie looked away and stared out the window. "No," he answered finally, "But… I'm afraid I _might_… one full moon. If something goes wrong."

"But you haven't," Aimee pointed out quietly, looking directly at him.

Charlie did not answer.

"That's my point, Charlie," Aimee continued, almost in a pleading tone. "You're not any different from anyone, not _really_. And yes, you may be a werewolf, but I _don't care_."

Aimee was silent after this. She was determined to have an answer out of him one way or another. She stared at him for a whole minute, willing him to look back at her.

"You'd be surprised by how much _I_ care." Charlie said in a hardened voice after a while. He still did not look at her, he stared resolutely in front of him. Aimee flopped back into her seat and sighed.

"I give up. You're impossible."

Charlie smirked somewhat humorlessly. "In many ways."

Aimee sat up straighter and looked sideways at him. "I am fresh out of speech inspiration. So I'll put it bluntly. I do _not_ want it awkward to be between us. I want to go back to the way we were before, when we were friends. So stop being all whiny and self-pitying and all the-end-is-near, 'cause it's _not_, ok?"

Charlie blinked at her indignantly. "I am _not_ being whiny and self-pitying and the-end-is near, Aimee. I'm being _realistic_."

"Yes, you _are_ being whiny and self-pitying and the-end-is-near! What's with all that '_it won't be the same_' crap you're telling me? Of _course_ it'll be the same!" Aimee sqwacked angrily. She made a deep supposedly macho voice when she repeated what Charlie had said.

Charlie groaned in a frustrated manner and started to say something back, but Aimee said quietly, "One of my dad's best friends was a werewolf, Charlie, and neither he nor Sirius ever had a problem with that."

Charlie looked surprised at this. "You know this guy?" He sounded interested even though he tried not to be.

"_Knew_. He was killed in battle more than a year ago." Aimee was somewhat fibbing at this, she may have known Remus, but Remus had certainly never known her, at least not that she remembered. Remus knew her as a baby but had probably thought her dead the rest of her life, at least while he was alive.

"Well, _that's_ reassuring," Charlie commented dryly.

"That's not the point!"

"Which is?"

"That you can live a normal life even if you're a werewolf."

"Well, ok. I'll stop being- what was it you said?"

"Whiny and self-pitying and the-end-is-near-ish. And going all emo on humanity," Aimee put in.

Charlie laughed. "So now I've gone _emo_ on all humanity?"

"Yeah," Aimee said, and Charlie stopped laughing and blinked as if thinking about it very in depth.

**A/N: Please, review, you guys, I always see that you read it or put it in your favorites, but you guys never review! I do give thanks to my few loyal reviewers, please keep up with the feedback! I love hearing what you guys think, whether it's good or bad!**


	32. Of Pranks and Dates

**A/N: Wow, it's been so long, hasn't it? Like, months since I've updated. I'm really sorry, if any of you are still reading this, then thank you. I hope you are still interested, because I really do want to finish it. Review and tell me what you think, please!**

When they arrived, it seemed things were back to normal. They arrived in time for dinner and all four of them laughed and joked just like old times, as if nothing had happened over winter vacation.

When Aimee woke the next morning, it was snowing. She dressed and entered the bathroom, hair cream and brush in hand. When she looked in the mirror, she decided that a quick ponytail would have to do, breakfast would be over soon and she was too tired to try and do anything with it. Then she washed her face and looked up into the mirror to see Adelaide's reflection entering the bathroom, looking like she had entered the room by accident while sleepwalking. She made toward Aimee, made a bad calculation of where the table was, and smacked into it loudly when she reached her.

"Tired?" Aimee asked with a malicious smile.

"Not _one_ word," Adelaide growled at her, then stuck her hands under the faucet and splashing her face with it. Aimee eyed Adelaide's hair.

"Looks like a good hair day," Aimee commented innocently. This, of course, was a complete lie, since Adelaide's curls were tangled and sticking up and pouffing around her face like a halo- but not prettily like an angel. Adelaide slowly turned to look at her and uttered a sound between a growl and actual speech, but Aimee didn't understand what the heck Adelaide had just attempted to say. The cold water she'd splashed on her face dripped down her neck now.

The effect was a mix between scary and funny.

Aimee backed away to get her book bag.

Ten minutes later, Adelaide and Aimee, both sporting messy, one-minute ponytails, made their way down to breakfast, where they met with the boys a while later.

That day was short, and Aimee went through her classes rather quickly. It was good seeing everyone again. In her Charms class, their teacher decided that they were being too noisy, and assigned everyone partners. Aimee was put in with David, and she was glad. She quiet liked him because he was so nice. Jacques somehow ended up with Adelaide by some miracle, and he was looking pleased, trying to make conversation with Adelaide, who was finishing the Charms homework she had not done during the vacations, and barely paying attention to Jacques sad attempts at conversation. Benji was partnered with Sophie, probably the teacher's attempt at trying to calm Sophie, who was a well-known chatterbox, down.

If their teacher thought Benji, always the teacher's favorite and a well-known genius, was going to influence Sophie in any good way, he had one coming. Sophie was more likely to influence Benjamin badly than Benji was of influencing Sophie in a way that would convince her to stop talking to anyone in a 7-feet perimeter area.

Charlie was paired up with Gaelle in a vague attempt to stop him from talking with Aimee all the time, something which Madame Celine always blamed Charlie for, believing Aimee was pure innocence for her lack of French words. She'd been under the impression Aimee spoke next to nothing of French since that first day in which Madame Maxime had informed the teachers of Aimee's French-less vocabulary as a heads-up.

Charlie was not looking pleased. Gaelle was currently painting her nails with her color-change ink, and her nails were sporting rainbow colors that flashed angrily. Charlie was looking at her nails with a look in is face that could be described as bewilderment.

Arthur had been paired with Corinne. Corinne was quiet and she listened intently to lectures, she always got good grades and the teachers loved her for her gentle and calm nature. Madame Celine probably thought that Corinne would somehow resist Arthur's maniac attempts for attention and maybe Arthur would maybe GET IT and shut up, as Madame Celine announced when she got sick of all their talking.

And Jean was sent to a table alone because there was no more people to pair up and he was perhaps one of the loudest people in class. Why his girlfriend was Corinne, sweetest girl in class, was a wonder. But they made a cute couple, Aimee mused.

The pairing loud people with quiet people (and parting Jean with civilization) seemed to have the opposite effect of what Madame Celine had hoped.

Within minutes, Corinne was laughing along with every single one of Arthur's bad jokes, Aimee and David had hitched up a conversation and were talking loudly, while Aimee laughed at things David said, Sophie and Benji were having a burp contest- a _burp contest_ of all things- Jacques had finally gotten hold of Adelaide's attention and was making her laugh while she attempted to smother her giggles by stuffing her fist in her mouth.

The only pairing that seemed to have worked was Gaelle and Charlie, who stared moodily into space while Gaelle attempted to convince him to let her paint his nails like hers.

And Jean, since he'd been isolated at the far end of the room.

Jean crossed his arms over his chest and gave Arthur warning looks so that, as Jean was jealously suspecting, Corinne would not fall in love with Arthur after having sat with him for 20 minutes straight. Which Aimee thought was plain ridiculous, but judging from the look on Jean's face, he probably wished it was he who was sitting with Corinne, making her laugh (or making out) than Arthur.

All in all, it was a good day, Aimee thought, as she went to bed. The next week passed in a blur of homework and carefully scheduled Quidditch Practices. Two weeks after going back to classes, Adelaide announced that Sunday was her birthday, so the girls set about planning another Slumber Party on Saturday so they could celebrate Adelaide's 18th birthday at midnight.

When Saturday night came, the girls set their jumble of blankets and pillows in their usual spots and sat down in the midst of bowls of junk food and the usual vegetable bowls provided by Corinne. The chattered and did facials and gossiped all night long, and then, when it was 2 minutes till midnight, all of them got ready for the countdown.

"Oh, oh! You guys!" Sophie squealed excitedly, "It's almost time!"

"It's gonna be my birthday!" Adelaide beamed, and she placed a plateful of cookies in Aimee's lap, adding, "You have to dump these over my head at exactly 12, ok? Just like Hermione and Ginny did to you on your birthday!"

"Ok!" Aimee agreed happily, and clutched the plate of cookies and cookie crumbs in her lap, ready for dumping.

"And… ten!" Sophie started, looking at her watch.

"Nine!" The rest of the girls chorused along with her. "Eight! …Seven! …Six! …Five!"

Aimee grinned at Adelaide across Gaelle's neon-colored sleeping bag, and Adelaide grinned back.

"Four! … THREE! … TWO-"

But before they even got to the one, two things happened: the lights were turned off with a loud BANG so that they were plunged in deep darkness, and all five of them screamed at the top of their lungs for 30 seconds straight until Corinne, in a voice quite unlike her own, yelled; "WILL YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP, YOU BUNCH OF PANSIES!"

The screaming stopped abruptly.

"There. That's better."

Aimee blinked in the darkness. She could not see anything, not even the faint outline of a distant piece of furniture or anything. She might as well had had her eyes closed. She pushed the plates of cookies off her lap, but did grab a cookie, just in case it needed to be hurled at an attacker. There was still a feeling of small subdued panic amongst them, Aimee noticed, but she kept quiet and felt around for a leg or arm she might be able to hold on to for comfort.

"What's going on? Why did the light go off?" Sophie whispered somewhere to Aimee's right, and Aimee flung a hand in that direction until she felt Sophie's arm. She dragged herself to Sophie and sat next to her, their bare knees touching.

"I don't know," Corinne answered, "But it better come back soon."

"This is too weird. The light is magical, after all," Adelaide reasoned, and there was rustling movements somewhere in the darkness as she spoke. "Why could it suddenly go off?"

"Well, Happy Birthday, Addie," Corinne said shrewdly, a sarcastic note in her voice.

"Oh!" Aimee remembered suddenly, "The Cookie Throw!" Aimee chucked the cookie at Adelaide.

"If that whizzing sound was your cookie, then you missed, honey," Adelaide deadpanned sarcastically.

"Oh. Sorry." Aimee threw another one. There was a tiny thud.

"Ow." Adelaide said.

Aimee's ears and touch seemed to have pricked up, and she could hear every single time someone moved. She could hear their nervous breathing and the sound of Gaelle screwing the cap back on to one of her nail polish bottles slowly and surely. She didn't say anything as Gaelle asked, "Do you think it went out throughout all of the castle or just us?"

There was a pause of silence as the girls pondered over this.

"I think," Aimee said softly, finally breaking the silence, "that this was just us. Can anyone reach their wand?"

There was a flurry of movement as each of the girls felt around for their wands.

"That's strange," Adelaide murmured quietly, "I'm sure I left it behind me."

"I can't find mine either!" Sophie whined frantically, and her knees left Aimee's as she crawled around trying to find it, "It isn't where I left it!"

Aimee reached beside her, where she knew she had left her wand, but it wasn't there. "They've disappeared," Aimee said softly. She could feel the panic bubbling up her throat again, a threatening scream just seconds from her lips.

It was a that moment Aimee heard a sound that would be one she thought she'd never hear in Beauxbatons, and even less at that very second.

A phone was ringing.

It was like a chill ran up her spine.

Aimee shrieked at the top of her lungs, and so did the rest of them. After about ten seconds of the screaming, Adelaide shouted, "Shut UP, you guys! It's just a phone!"

The screaming died down, and the only sound was the persistent ringing of the phone.

"Should we… Should we answer it?" Sophie asked quietly, shaking beside Aimee. All of them stayed put, listening to the ringing, which was steadily becoming louder and more freaking scarier.

Then the phone gave a particularly shrieky ring and all of them jumped, Aimee crawled forward and felt around for the phone, swatting Adelaide in the neck as she swooped her hands. "What are you doing?" Adelaide hissed at her, but Aimee didn't answer because she felt something definitely solid underneath her fingers that hadn't been there the last time she'd checked.

The four of them waited breathlessly as Aimee settled beside an antique-feeling phone in which you had to dial by turning a little circle thing around and picked up the receiver. Aimee cautiously put it up to her ear and said, in a much too shaky voice, "Hello?"

"_Seven days_…" A voice rasped loudly in her ear, and there was a round of more screaming as they all scuttled around to clutch each other in fear, except for Aimee, who started laughing loudly. This was by far the most efficient way to shut them up.

"Oh, my God, you guys! Can't you see?" Aimee shrieked, dropping the phone (which kept repeating in the freaky voice: '_Seven days_…' over and over again) and clutching her stomach in laughter, "It's the boys! It's obviously the boys!"

"Of course! Who else would call us with meaningful phone calls about seven days and such!" Adelaide added joyfully, but their laughter was short-lived, for Aimee suddenly felt a sick sensation in her stomach and she felt herself go soaring into the air, how high she did not know, and she knew all of them were being levitated because they all started shrieking louder than ever.

It was like they were suddenly plunging into outer space and then they were floating there like a pieces of bread bobbing in the sea when no fish wanted it.

Aimee felt ropes bind her wrists, and then, still in the air, she was roughly pulled back and tied against the four of them with an "Oomph!", between a loudly-swearing Adelaide and screaming Corinne. Then, they were dropped back into earth, Aimee screamed louder than ever, sure that they'd been high in the air and that they were going to smack into the carpeted floor mightily and break a few bones, if not die, and-

Their drop was of about 2 feet.

Aimee stopped screaming abruptly to blink in confusion.

"Well, well, well," Jacques voice came from somewhere near Aimee, and Aimee kicked out furiously. She felt her foot whoosh against the air. It was still pitch black.

"JACQUES!" All five of them screamed in unison, and there was more laughter as the boys came closer.

"This isn't funny, you guys!" Corinne yelled, "You scared the hell out of us!"

"It was only a bit of fun, just for the birthday girl," Jean answered, and then there was and _oomph_ as Corinne kicked him in the darkness, and then a thump as he fell to the floor.

"YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF, JEAN IGNATIO LACROIS!" Corinne screamed, and then there was a sound of Jean humbly apologizing to his girlfriend while she seethed.

Then, Adelaide screamed as the ropes around her were cut and unbound her to Aimee, she felt Adelaide being hauled up, and her scream, instead of right next to Aimee's ear, proceeded to go up into the air, about where average head height should be. There was a snicker and Adelaide shrieked, "LET GO OF ME _RIGHT NOW_!"

"What? You're not enjoying being carried by my muscley, manly arms, Addie?" Jacques' voice asked somewhere in the exact same place where Adelaide's scream had ended. It seemed Jean had slung Adelaide over his shoulder á la Sack of Potatoes.

"Jacques! We told you not to!" Charlie's voice rang out, and Aimee started. He was a lot nearer than she'd thought he'd be. She started feeling around with her bare foot for his leg, making a quick plan in her head. First, she would trip him, jump on him, steal his wand and…

THEN SHE WOULD CREATE LIGHT!

Her plan was foolproof.

"But, but…" Jacques trailed over, and there was the sound of Adelaide's bound wrists whacking repeatedly against his back, but he did not seem to notice Adelaide's attempt at escape. "But I wanted to kidnap her! It'll be so much more fun if we do! And besides, I'll be careful. Nothing will happen to her!"

There was a pause.

"Well, nothing permanent, anyway," Jacques added hastily, and Adelaide screamed, "PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW, YOU MASOCHIST!"

"I _know_ she won't get hurt," Charie answered patiently, as if talking to a three-year-old, "But it's not_ her_ I'm worried about, it's _you_. She'll-"

There was a thud and a grunt.

Bingo. Phase One (tripping Charlie) of Master Plan was complete.

All that could be heard were muttered swear words. Huh, Aimee mused. Maybe she'd hit him too hard.

Oh, well.

"Charlie?" Benji asked somewhere to Aimee's right, "What are you doing on the floor?"

Aimee launched herself at Charlie now that the ropes that had been cut by Jacques, bound wrists flailing in front of her, and, with a grunt, landed on top of her target's chest, who yelped as Aimee's weight fell on him.

"Hey! Get off me!"

"Never!" Aimee yelled valiantly, and started smacking Charlie on his chest and shoulders. She pinned him down by sitting on his stomach.

"Ow! Get off, Aimee! OW!"

Aimee decided to stop the smacking, as it wasn't really part of the plan, anyway. She had to get his wand. With her bound wrists, she grabbed his own right hand and attempted to yank his wand out of it. They started a tug-of-war, pulling back and forth, sqwacking stuff back and forth like: "Give me your wand!" "No! Get off me!" and whatnot.

Then, suddenly, the lights came back on, and Aimee froze mid-pull and looked up. Benji was standing beside them wearing normal clothes and his wand pointed at the ceiling, Sophie and Gaelle were blinking confusedly, still tied to each other, Jean and Corinne had made up, Corinne, with her bound wrists around Jean's neck, sitting down on the floor with one leg curled beneath her and the other spread across the carpet, and Jean, on his knees, one hand planted on the floor to balance him, the other on Corinne's waist, both of whom stopped kissing each other the moment they realized the lights were on and looked around embarrasedly.

Jacques stopped walking, already at the door, turning sharply around to look at them all and swinging Adelaide's head much too near the open door for her comfort, at which she uttered a little shriek and flung her tied arms over her head, and then continued to whack at Jacques' back purposely.

"See what you've done, Jacques?" Benji said, shaking his head, a whiny note in his voice, "Now we can't throw them in the lake, like we planned to!"

"WHAT?" Aimee sqwacked, and Charlie seized her distraction, shoving her off him and rolling over so he could kneel over her, quickly placing one leg on each side of her so that he hovered over her.

"HA!" Charlie yelled gleefully, grinning down at her, wand securely in hand, "Now who's beat you?"

"ME!" Aimee countered back, and balling her hands into fists, hit him with both hands on his mouth. She felt only a bit bad about hitting him so hard, but he did somewhat deserve it, he had greatly participated in this situation they were now in, and besides, Aimee hated being pinned down, and she knew Charlie was well aware of that.

Charlie almost fell off her with the force of her blow, but he shook his head and regained his balance, one hand over his mouth, and, as Aimee showed signs of wanting to hit him again, he grabbed her forearm and forced both arms over her head, pinning them behind her head to the floor, and he grinned, though grimacing.

"Not bad," He chuckled, and Aimee saw that his bottom teeth were tinged with blood. She had managed to cut the inside of his mouth beneath his lower lip. Aimee realized she had been wearing a ring on her finger, a big blue one she loved to wear that had collided with his face underneath his mouth.

"Sorry," Aimee apologized sarcastically, "Now get off me." She had suddenly noticed how close Charlie's face was to hers and could feel her cheeks warming. Besides, everyone was watching them with amused, cocky expressions. Except David, who looked bored and irritated.

As much as Aimee hated being pinned down, right now she realized she did not particularly mind, though. The feeling of knowing that Charlie was practically sitting on top of her was sort of cool. It made her feel pleasantly dizzy.

Charlie laughed, and a small drop of blood ran down the side of his mouth. He noticed it and stopped laughing long enough to wipe it of with the side of his hand, then looking at the smeared blood on his thumb with a look his eyes that Aimee did not like, and that, paired with the bloodened teeth and the smeared blood underneath his mouth, made him look almost vampire-ish. A muscle in his jaw twitched involuntarily.

"Charlie, game's over. Get off her," David laughed, and Aimee turned her head to him.

Charlie looked up and nodded. "Oh. Yeah. Right." He swung his leg off her and got up, then offered Aimee a hand. Aimee took it and he hauled her up so fast that she almost lost her footing now that she was standing. She found she felt resent toward the fact that he was no longer sitting on her.

"Sorry about that," Aimee said awkwardly, motioning to Charlie's jaw, "I think I hit you too hard."

"Yeah, you did," Charlie agreed, but he grinned to show that he wasn't mad.

Aimee cleared her throat and looked down and adjusted her t-shirt, which was now showing her navel, and her red squared boy boxer shorts. If she'd have known the boys were coming, she'd have worn something a little less revealing, but she would have to do without.

"So… Can I still kidnap her?" Jacques asked hopefully from the doorway, adjusting Adelaide over his shoulder and almost accidentally dropping her head-first into the carpet. She screamed but he grabbed her legs and pulled to put her back into a more safe position, arching one arm over her waist and the other securing the back of Adelaide's knees.

"No!" Adelaide, along with all of the boys except Charlie (who'd been busy looking weird over the blood- at which Aimee quickly grabbed his wand and produced a spell to heal him), answered. Jacques's face fell, then said, "Fine," with a defeated air, and put Adelaide down- feet first, thank God- who tried to cross her arms, failed, and settled fot a disapproving look.

"Yeah, you better be happy you didn't walk out that door with me, or you'd have regretted it," Adelaide threatened angrily, shaking her hair out of her eyes, and Jacques grinned at her. This seemed to anger her more and she stalked towards Gaelle and Sophie, who were been untied by Benji and David.

"You know," Gaelle commented idly, rubbing her wrists where the ropes had been, "Your great plan didn't seem to work at all."

"Eh, it doesn't matter," Charlie laughed, and grabbed Aimee's wrists to start untying them, "The point was to give Adelaide a birthday to remember."

"Oh, I'll remember it, alright," Adelaide muttered, then shot Jacques a look that suggested that all her troubles in her life were his fault, and he shrank back. Then she begrudgingly held up her hands to him so that he could untie them. Jacques grinned at her as he did so and Adelaide scowled back.

Once Benji had successfully cut the ropes from Gaelle's and Sophie's wrists, Sophie jumped up and squealed; "Let's do something fun!"

"Because the last 10 minutes have been downright boring," Aimee put in sarcastically, rubbing her wrists where the itchy rope had been.

Charlie chuckled and said: "Here. Let me help you with that." He took one hand with amazingly soft touch and laid the tip of his wand against her wrist. Slowly, the red rashes vanished into Aimee's skin. Charlie dropped her hand, which was tingling where he'd touched her, and took her other hand, doing the same thing to the red marks on it.

"Thanks," Aimee said softly, and then put her hands at her sides, at which she suddenly felt self-conscious of them and instead crossed them in front of her chest.

"You're welcome," Charlie grinned at her, and then turned to Sophie, "So what do you suggest we do?"

"Drink, of course," Arthur said in an obvious voice, and then he twirled his wand. A few bottles flew in from the window and landed noisily on the floor. Arthur grabbed one and opened it, then tipped it to his mouth. Sophie giggled and took another one. Corinne and Gaelle held back, but Aimee helped herself to a bottle. Soon everyone had a bottle, and someone suggested they play Truth or Dare. Aimee had had about half a bottle, not wanting to get too drunk, but she had felt her spirits definitely go up.

"I have an idea," David said. He was grinning and was already in his third beer. He seemed to be holding up pretty well, "Why don't we each in turn do something reckless and stuff? Like, something we've never done before." He grinned at Aimee.

They agreed and there was a chorus of "Sounds like fun," and "Sure," and "But Arthur can't play 'cause he's too drunk," and "No, I'm not."

After a while of playing and drinking, it was David's turn.

"What will you do?" Aimee asked him, then took another swig of beer. She looked sideways at him and put the bottle down.

"This," he said, and then leaned over and kissed her, right then and there, in front of everybody.

He tasted like alcohol, that's what. Aimee closed her eyes. It seemed weird to protest, really, so she just let him kiss her. Her mind was groggily registering what was happening.

Then he suddenly stepped back and Aimee opened her eyes. Charlie had thrown his mostly empty cup at David.

"You can't kiss her," Charlie told a bewildered looking David, "That's not reckless." His voice seemed calm, and he had helped himself to another cup, tipping about half the bottle into it.

"Aw, come on, Charlie, kissing someone is reckless. I mean, what's Aimee gonna say?" Corinne giggled.

All heads turned to Aimee. She stared back blankly. It seemed the alcohol had made her unable to say anything intelligent right now. Normally she would have said something witty to make everyone laugh whatever, but her mind was painfully blank.

"Ok, then I'll ask Aimee out," David said, and his hand fell on hers. "Hey, Aimee, will you go out with me? You know, on Valentine's day, when we get to go to the Paris?"

"Uh-huh," Aimee nodded. Her head was spinning. Maybe she'd drank too much. Suddenly, the lights overhead seemed so interesting. She stared at them while she took tossed her cup behind her and reached for a new one.

"I still say it isn't reckless," Charlie said darkly, and abandoning his full cup, he grabbed the bottle and gulped it all down. Then he threw it aside, where it bounced off the floor and rolled away.

Jacques looked like he wished he had thought of the kiss-and-THEN-ask-out technique on Adelaide as she raised her hand and waved it wildly in the air.

"My turn! My turn!" Adelaide shouted, but Aimee wasn't paying attention anymore. Had David made up the game just to have an excuse to ask her out? Her mind was foggy and she couldn't think. Aimee found that she didn't really care whether or not she went out with him. She just kept drinking.

Charlie looked at her intently. He tipped the bottle into his mouth and finished it. Well, he was a fast drinker, Aimee thought. Then, still looking at her, he said: "I'm out, guys. See you in the morn," He then stood up, throwing the bottle aside without another word to her and walked, albeit drunkenly, to the door. Aimee watched him go.

"Somebody's too thrashed!" Gaelle laughed, looking at Charlie slam the door behind him.

Aimee only looked at her bottle, suddenly disgusted at herself. She pried herself from David's grasp, who had his arm around her waist, and said, "I'm going, too." She dropped the bottle to the floor. She tottered a bit before making her way to the door. It seemed to move from left to right.

"But you're going to sleep here, you dork." Adelaide said happily, "Slumber Party, remember?"

"I know. But I'm tired and piss drunk and you're still gonna go at it. So, bye."

And she stumbled out the door after Charlie.

**A/N: Review and tell me what you think!**


	33. Revelation

"Charlie! Hey, Charlie! Wait up!" Aimee called as she jogged to catch up with him. Charlie was a few feet away, walking drunkenly, almost falling over when he glanced over his shoulder at her. Aimee caught up and grabbed his shoulder. "Why'd you leave?"

Charlie shrugged her hand off his shoulder. "Because." His breath stank like alcohol. Her breath probably did, too. In some small portion of Aimee's brain, she registered the fact that of they were caught walking drunk in the corridors at 2am, they'd get detention, at least for month, if not two. But it was wiped from her mind about 3 seconds after she thought it.

"Well, ok," Aimee answered, "So where… where are you going?"

"Wherever," Charlie muttered. Aimee tried to grab onto his arm for support, her vision was failing and she was seeing double now, but she missed his arm. "Oumph!" She stumbled and fell sideways to the ground with a comical thud. Charlie stopped to watch her get up again while she giggled. Then she caught sight of his angry face. She stopped laughing and adopted a more somber countenance.

"Are you mad at me?"

"No," Charlie said, and started walking again. Aimee stood for about 2 seconds on the spot before going after him.

"Are you angry at me because David kissed me?" Aimee tried again, walking alongside him. His steps were too quick for her. For someone who had drank two bottles of firewhisky, he sure walked fast. Aimee had trouble catching up with him. Plus, he kept going in and out of focus sometimes.

"I already said I _wasn't_ mad at you, ok?" Charlie said, his voice louder and reverberating off the wall. With the racket they were making, they'd probably get caught any second now.

"Fine," Aimee agreed, slurring on her words, "So why'd… So why'd you leave?" She had hiccupped in the middle of her sentence and had to start all over again.

"Because I _wanted_ to, ok? Now leave me alone!"

"But we're both going to the common room, right? What's -what's the point of going separate ways?" Aimee asked, hiccupping again, hurrying her pace to match Charlie's, but even then, they turned a corner and there was the door to the common room. Charlie fumbled in the pocket of his jeans for his key and inserted it in the lock. He opened the door and walked into to dimly lit common room. Aimee followed him inside and he threw the door closed. It slammed with certain finality as he turned his back on her a swiftly strode away to his dorm room.

"Well, 'night, Charlie," Aimee said, totally perplexed as to what he was so pissed about. He sure was a pissy person when he got trashed.

"'Night, Aimee," Charlie deadpanned, and disappeared down the entranceway. Aimee stared at the closed door for a few seconds and then went to her own dorm room, where she plummeted into her bed sheets and fell asleep instantly.

XxXxXxX

The next morning Aimee woke up with a throbbing headache and her tongue tasting like sawdust. She was the only one in the dorm room. She got up, feeling queasy, and stumbled to the bathroom, where she took a long, hot shower. Then she stepped out of the shower, wrapped her body in a towel, and went to her wardrobe to put some clothes on. She looked at her watch; it was quarter after eleven. She'd just missed breakfast. Ah, well. She wasn't particularly hungry. With the hangover, she felt like she'd throw up anything.

After she'd thrown some flannel pants and a t-shirt on, she made her way down to the common room to see Sophie returning. After talking with her and finding out that they'd kept partying up until 5am, she supposed that the rest of them wouldn't be up for a couple of hours. She glanced at the boys' closed dorm room door. Apparently, Charlie wasn't awake yet.

XxXxXxX

The weeks passed, and soon it was Valentine's Day. Students over 15 years old were allowed to go out to Paris for a couple of hours, and that morning Aimee dressed, had breakfast, and said goodbye to Adelaide, Benji and Charlie and made her way over to David. Her grabbed her hand and motioned to the fire just outside the Grand Salle, where one of the teachers stood by with a board and the list of students who would be leaving for the day.

A group of sixth-year girls were ahead of them, and each grabbed a pinch of Floo Powder, then one by one, stepped into the fire, exclaiming, "_Le Petit Chat_!". _Le Petit Chat_ was a Wizarding Hotel in Paris that was associated with Beauxbatons. It allowed students to arrive and leave to and from Beauxbatons. David motioned to her while he told the teacher their names. She nodded and turned the page, then made a little mark next to 'Aimee Claire Potter' and 'David Alexis Maubon' in the 7th year list.

"Well, see you there," Aimee told David, and took some Floo Powder between her fingers, and threw it in the fire. It turned green and she stepped into it, saying clearly, "_Le Petit Chat_!". Then, Aimee felt a pull on her bellybutton, and she was turning faster and faster, watching chimneys go by and the green flames around her body, and then she was standing in the fire of the Le Petit Chat Hotel.

A man wearing a suit was standing next to her, quill in hand. "Mademoiselle?" He registered the names of the students who went past to make sure that all of them made it to Le Petit Chat safely.

"Aimee Claire Potter," Aimee told him, and he said, "_Merci. _You are free to go."

"Thank you," She said, then turned to a mirror that was hanging over a table with flowers in the reception area. She made sure her hair and face looked ok, and checked her scarf and mittens were in place before turning to David, who had just arrived and was repeating his name to the check-in-butler-guy. He smiled at Aimee and held out his arm.

"Shall we go?"

"Sure," Aimee answered, smiling charmingly. She took his arm and they both headed outside. As soon as they set foot on the crunchy snow outside, a gust of wind flew in their faces, reminding them both just how cold it was. Aimee was glad for her coat, a great find the last time she and Adelaide had been here in Paris, going in and out of boutiques and shops. It was dark gray, ending just above the knees, and had four big adorable black buttons on the front, two on top and two below. A white scarf was tucked into it. David had a dark green sweater underneath his jacket, the hood sticking out over and behind the jacket at the back.

As they walked past the coffee shops and a bank and some restaurants, making small talk, a small part of Aimee wished she had gone out with her friends instead, but she forced it away. She had a date with a cute boy and it was a lovely day and she was out of school and was in Paris. Paris! Paris was all about love. It was the city of love. Or light. Or whatever it was people claimed Paris was these days.

After a while, they came upon a little crëperie restaurant just a few blocks from the Seine river, which David had promised to take her on a boat ride to afterwards. They sat down on a little table and a waiter passed them their menus. The restaurant was small, crowded, and pleasantly cozy. The tables weren't smushed together and there was space in between for a person to walk through without a problem. Most of the people there were couples, sitting across from each other in tiny tables.

Aimee observed the different crepes on the menu. "What are you going to order?" She asked David, who put down his menu, but still looking at it.

His hand was on his chin and he answered, "I'm not sure, really, but I'm down to Nutella-and-banana or just plain nutella."

"I think I'll order the ham-and-cheese crepe," Aimee said, just as the waiter came back to ask what they would like. A short time later they ordered their crepes came and they ate them pleasantly. Slowly, Aimee began to joke about with David. Apparently he was more than polite and quiet. Once he gained confidence he started making her laugh and they had a nice time in the Creperie.

Then, David paid and they headed out to the Seine river, looking out for any docks nearby (Aimee had declared her dream was to get on a boat ride down the Seine River) and chattering pleasantly away. David told Aimee about his family, how his mother had died when he was 6 and how it was him, his younger brother and his Dad now, plus their cat, Soufflé. His dad had gotten remarried just five years before, and David reported that he did like his stepmum, who was a nice woman. David's brother was just a year below him, and once they both finished school they were getting their own flat together in Toulouse.

"So, are you staying here in France or are you going back to England after school?" David said after having finished.

Aimee thought about it for a second. "I think I'll be going back to England, really. I've been thinking of getting my own flat once I start working, and I'm getting an internship in the Ministry of Magic to become an Auror. I'll really miss Beauxbatons and France, though." Aimee sighed. She hated the thought of leaving her friends behind.

"Oh, right. You told me before you and Harry were planning on signing up for the same program to become aurors, am I right?" David asked.

"Yep," Aimee said. "In the summer, we'll both be living with Sirius, and then in August, we're applying for the internship."

"It's a shame you're moving back to England." David commented. "But it's for the best, I suppose."

"Yeah," Aimee sighed. She wanted to stay in Paris with her friends. Adelaide lived in Bordeaux, though, but she'd said she'd be getting a flat and would be moving to Paris after the summer, which she'd spend with her parents. In July, she would try out for _Les Jaunes Abeilles_, a Parisian Quidditch Team, and she wanted to maybe get a job at a restaurant or a bar and sing and play the piano for some extra cash. Benji had already gotten his own place, which he would share with 2 complete strangers, but he didn't mind.

Charlie, Aimee realized, had never really talked about anything regarding his future. He hadn't said anything about getting a job or furthering his study anywhere.

Where would he go? A werewolf wasn't welcome anywhere. One couldn't live with his parents forever.

They fell into a semi-comfortable silence, just walking and feeling the snow compress beneath their feet and the wind blow at the back of their heads. David looked at the shops they passed and walked happily. Aimee was lost in thought. What could she do to help Charlie get on with his life? There had to be something a werewolf did after graduating. What the heck had Remus done all his life?

The idea struck Aimee in a sudden lift of inspiration. Remus! Of course. He was a werewolf, though he had died long before Aimee had even re-met Harry on their sixteenth birthday, but Charlie could talk to Sirius, and surely Sirius would have something at least semi-hopeful for Charlie! She'd send Sirius a letter once she got home.

"Look," David said suddenly, pointing, "I think that's one of those tourist boats you were talking about. Shall we get on?"

"Sure," Aimee said, and they made their way down to the dock. David bought their tickets and they got on. They started chatting away again, David telling her about his first years at Beauxbatons.

XxXxXxX

_Dear Sirius,_

_Hey, how are you, you old dog (What? You call me a dog too!)? Things are ok here, I've been getting along very well in all (well, most of them anyway) of my classes. The advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts has been extra demanding these last couple of weeks, since we're covering new subjects and such. _

_But I'm ok. Heck, I've even started going out with this guy (don't worry, before you hunt him down you should know he's a nice guy). His name's David and he's in my year, and he asked me out a couple of weeks ago. We went out for the first time just yesterday, actually. We had a Valentine's Day trip to Paris. I had a lovely time._

_But, anyway, Sirius, what I wanted to ask you is… well. I don't know. You've never really talked about it, and I don't know if you'd be willing to if I asked. If you don't, then that's ok, but I really hope you do. This isn't for me, anyway. I'm asking you on behalf of Charlie._

_Yeah, ok, he doesn't know anything about it, neither did he actually ask me to ask you, but I took it upon myself so I could help him. _

_You do know he's a werewolf, right? Sirius, he's one of my best friends. It really hurts me to see him walk off every full moon and return all mangled up, but there's nothing I can do about that. Once we graduate, he won't have anywhere to go, and there's no way anyone will offer him a job knowing what he is. All the rest of my friends and I have a life waiting for us once get out of school, with internships and trying out for teams and job offers and whatnot. _

_But he's not going anywhere. I've never heard him talk about what he plans on doing next, or whatever he plans on doing with his life. _

_So, I wanted to talk to you. About Remus. I never really got to know him, but he's a werewolf. Sirius, I want to know what he did after school, where he went off to, what he did for a living. I know he was a Hogwarts teacher for some time, but I don't think it'd be the same policy here in Beauxbatons, and I don't think Charlie'd want to be a teacher anyway. He doesn't have the patience, to put it simply. _

_So, Sirius, I'm asking you, if you could tell me anything that helped Remus in his life and what jobs he took. It might set Charlie moving forward. If he listens to me. _

_Love,_

_Aimee_

_The Other Dog. _

_Don't you dare come stalking me again and knock me down like last time, you hear?_

XxXxXxX

The problem once Aimee got Sirius' letter back a couple of days later was getting on the subject with Charlie. It wasn't like she could just hop in front of him and go, 'Hey Charlie! I just solved all of your life's problems!' and expect him to go "Oh, yay!".

And on a more realistic level, asking him what he planned on doing with his life and then handing him the letter wouldn't be the best move, because Charlie wasn't exactly open to the werewolf subject.

They'd only talked about it on the way back and once in January when it was full moon. He was very touchy about it.

Then, when she started reading Sirius' letter, she realized that there was actually something she could do.

James, Sirius, and Peter had accompanied Remus on full moons as animagi. She was one. Why couldn't she do the same?

She checked her calendar; she had made sure it had the full moon dates on it when she'd bought it, and she saw that the next full moon was at the very end of February. Aimee wasn't sure whether she should surprise Charlie or talk to him about it.

Either way, she knew she was going to do it anyway, whether Charlie agreed or not.

Which was how two weeks later she found herself following Charlie as he made his way down to the forest, an hour and a half or two before sunset. That night would be full moon.

She darted behind trees, keeping well out of hearing range, and hummed the Mission Impossible theme song under her breath. Charlie mostly kept to the border of the forest, but after a few minutes of walking, he turned into it. Aimee ran after him, not wanting to miss him. She hadn't followed him from the Common Room to the Nurse's office (for the Wolfsbane Potion) and outside to lose him _now_.

Once she was in, she transformed into a dog. Her white and black longish fur kept her somewhat warm, there was still snow out, but she shivered anyway. She sniffed the air- Charlie's scent was still in it. She turned her head, determining in which direction it was strongest. Then she set out, following as his smell got closer.

Aimee had never been able to put her finger on what he smelled like- she couldn't quite describe it. He didn't smell like a precise something. It wasn't an exactly good smell, or bad either, but just… him. As a dog she could smell it if he had been in the same place before or if he was still there, but in human form, Aimee barely caught a whiff, except when she was standing really close. Or if she smushed her nose against his neck and breathed deeply, which she had never tried before or planned to on account of it being weird.

As Aimee walked, she decided upon it. He smelled sort of musky and woodsy. Clean and fresh. Except after Quidditch practice. He didn't smell so clean then and Aimee could smell him within a 5-meter-radius.

Aimee could hear, very faintly, his footsteps in the distance, crunching through leaves. Aimee ran to catch up, then stopped behind a tree as she caught sight of him. He was crouching near some sort of cave-den-thing, but it had definitely been constructed by humans (but magical, since who would bother building that with their hands if they could have magic?) , although smartly camouflaged. If she hadn't seen Charlie standing there, she might have thought it a rock. It barely reached his waist, but Aimee supposed it went underground. The wooden door was more like a trapdoor than an actual door.

Charlie ran his fingers over it, then pulled a key out of his pocket and ran his other hand over the musty wood. His hand stopped, he seemed to have found something. He cleared the dust away to a lock and shoved the key, which was a big, old-fashioned rusted thing, in it.

Aimee transformed back to her old self, and peered from behind the tree. Charlie's back was to her, and he opened the trapdoor, which creaked and then thudded loudly as it landed on the other side. Then, Aimee made the mistake of taking a step forward to see where it led and her foot snapped a twig.

Charlie turned around quickly, whipping out his wand, and pointing it at her before realizing it was her. "Aimee?" He lowered his wand.

"Oh," Aimee said intelligently. "Hi." She could feel her cheeks redden. Monsieur Montgomery would have been appalled at her poor trailing techniques, getting caught at the last second. He would have flunked her in a second.

"What are you doing here?" Charlie said in an accusing tone. "You followed me, didn't you?"

"Uh-huh," Aimee answered, drawling out the words, and scratching her neck uncomfortably. Charlie stuffed his wand in his pocket, narrowing his eyes at her.

"How come?"

Aimee leaned against the tree and started twirling a lock of hair. "Well, you know how I told you about my dad's friend who used to be a werewolf?"

"Yeah."

"Sirius and my dad and Pettigrew were animagi, like me. They finally got it right during their fifth year. And they did it because of, you know, Remus. And his condition."

"What do you mean?" Charlie leaned his butt on the rock, which was too high to sit on unless he heaved himself up, and crossed his arms, looking irritated.

"Well, Remus, as a werewolf, could somehow sense them, and he sort of… kept his mind. They helped him 'cause they were with him during full moons and Remus used to say it wasn't as bad when they were with him. So…" Aimee shrugged.

"But I take the Wolfsbane Potion. I already keep my mind when I transform anyway." Charlie said blankly, his head cocked slightly to one side.

_My God, is he really that dense? Does he not realize my master plan?_

"I dunno," Aimee shrugged again, "I thought you could use some company. I mean, all night long with nothing to do must be awfully boring. So I thought that I could keep you company, if you want."

Charlie smiled with a closed mouth. "I guess so." Now he looked like he understood what the heck she was doing there. "But if you wanted to come here, you could have told me. That's easier than scampering around after me. Did you think I wouldn't notice if you randomly appeared or something?" Charlie grinned.

"Uh," Aimee said, then laughed weakly, "I guess I hadn't thought of that." She scratched the back of her neck, giggling stupidly. That was her, all right. Calculating, organized, plan-overloaded Aimee. Yeah, right.

"It was a _great_ plan, though," Charlie said, chuckling, his voice happy with good-humored sarcasm, "Really well thought out. But I do have to congratulate you, I don't think anybody's followed me all the way here without me noticing."

"One of the things Animagi are good at, then," Aimee smiled.

"You weirdo," Charlie said affectionately, beckoning her over and stepping into the stairs below, "Come on." Aimee followed him inside, ducking her head and going down the stairs. Charlie pressed himself against the wall to let her pass, then he reached up and swung the trapdoor back onto them with a loud and menacing thud, leaving them in complete darkness. Aimee heard the lock magically slide itself back in place with a decisive click.

Aimee heard Charlie's footsteps near her. "Boo," He whispered in her ear, and Aimee laughed.

"You're freaking me out. Isn't there some light in here?" The fact that she and Charlie were locked in alone together in total darkness was making her nervous.

"Yeah," Charlie chuckled, "Hang on."

There was the creak of a door opening, and then a vertical line of light appeared in the wall; Charlie was opening a door at the bottom of the steps. "There." He pushed it open and held the door open for her to pass. Aimee looked around the room.

Not too big, enough room to pace around and for a bed with the sheets tossed on the floor, a wooden chair and its wooden table, a creaky wardrobe, and a window, tiny, at the very top, touching the ceiling. You couldn't see much through it since it was boarded up, but a sliver of light came through it, a part where long, deep, scuffs and marks of something that had tried to rip them off. Below the window, a series of desperate scratches. Obviously Charlie had ran his werewolf nails through the walls. The sight of the marks against the beige walls made her shudder.

She stood around, looking up and around, seeing the lamps set up near the ceiling, out of reach.

"And this… is where it happens." Charlie said behind her. His voice was bitter, he was looking around, scowling at the dented table and the grazed walls and the unmade bed. "Come to think of it, I don't think the nurse or Madame Maxime would be too happy knowing you were here. Eh. You're gonna transform anyway."

Aimee didn't know what to say. She was watching a ticking clock, standing on the table, which looked like it had been thrown on the floor and then repaired countless times. Beside it, there was another moldy key. Charlie took it and opened the wardrobe with it, the key clicking into place. He threw open 

the doors and tossed his wand inside. Aimee stood around awkwardly and then sat on the chair cross-legged.

"How long do you have?"

"About 40 minutes." He hadn't even looked at his watch. He had just looked up at the piece of sky visible between the wooden boards and said it. He stripped off his watch and tossed it in after his wand. Aimee shifted in her chair.

"Nervous being stuck in a room with a werewolf and no way out till morning? I should've warned you that I can't open that door until sunrise," Charlie ginned at her, and his eyes seemed to flash. They looked sort of golden-ish now, instead of the usual murky dark grayish-brown.

"No," Aimee offered weakly. "I think I'll be ok." The truth was, she was sort of nervous. Not for herself, but for Charlie. It upset her to know what he would go through tonight.

"Why are you acting so weird?" Charlie asked suddenly, his eyebrows raised.

Aimee stared at him and then stood, turning her back on him, hugging herself. "I've been thinking."

"That's new," Charlie commented. Aimee could practically hear the teasing smile in his voice. Aimee laughed a little, but it wasn't her usual throw-back-her-head-and-cackle laugh. It was a weak laugh. "About what, might I ask?"

Aimee turned around and stuffed her hands into the pockets of her hooded sweater. "I've been thinking about what I'm going to do after I leave Beauxbatons. It just went by so fast, but in a couple of months I'll be graduating."

"Well, yeah, we'll all be." Charlie said, as if he didn't get what she was getting to. He seemed to be doing that a lot. He flopped onto the old green sofa and sat down, then patted the spot next to him for Aimee to sit down. She noticed as she did so, that the arm of the sofa next to her had been sliced open ina few parts, the stuffing poking out.

"Yeah, but… It just seems that I'm growing up too fast. I'll be considered an adult and I'll get a job… And I'll go back to England and I probably won't get to see you guys as often." Aimee sighed. She started tugging on a piece of her hair, then started braiding it anxiously.

"You can't stay in school forever, Aimee." Charlie said quietly. His face was more serious now, it had left the jokes and the smile and the teasing tone. He looked anxiously out the window again.

"I _know_," Aimee said through gritted teeth, standing up. She had to do something with her body, she couldn't sit still any longer. "I _know_ I can't. But, Charlie," She stopped and bit her lip. Her chest felt hollow. "What are _you_ going to do when you graduate?" Aimee turned to face him. "I've never heard you say _anything_ about what you plan to do. We all have stuff we want to do, things we'll want to try out in life. But what will _you_ be doing, Charlie? Have you thought about it? I mean, do you have _any_ idea how fucking _worried_ I am about you?" She laughed darkly at the last part, and for some reason she wanted to cry.

Charlie stared at her, sitting on the bench, slouching with his arms draped over the sides. He slowly stood up and walked a few ways from her. He ran his hand through his light brown hair. "I actually _have _thought about it." He said quietly. Aimee stared at his back, her heartbeat accelerating.

"I'm going away, Aimee," Charlie continued, his voice unnaturally soft, and he turned. "The reason I can't live a normal life is because of my condition, so… I'm going to try and find a cure for it. If it's not in England then it must be somewhere else."

"_What_?" Aimee whispered, disbelieving. Something bad was about to come out of his mouth, she could feel it. Her hands started shaking. She stuffed them into her hoodie pockets again.

"If there's the illness, then there has to be the cure somewhere in the planet, right?" Charlie said hopefully, as if to convince himself more than her, and he half-smiled at her. Aimee bit her lip and looked away. She couldn't stand to think of him going who knows where for who knows how long. Heck, he could be searching all of his life and he could never find it. The thought of it scared her. It terrified her, actually. She felt faint at the thought if it.

"Where are you going to go?" Her voice shook as she said it.

"Russia."

The answer felt like Charlie had actually hit her across the face. "How long?"

He didn't answer.

"_How _long?" Aimee asked again, louder, her voice shaking. It seemed all nature sound had muted, or at least put on volume low. The chirps of birds and crickets were no longer audible. She was aware of her heartbeat so clearly.

Charlie exhaled through his nose and looked away. "As long as it takes."

The sky was darkening. Aimee was glad for it, because she knew any second now she could start crying. Charlie, in Russia? For what, five years? Ten? Thirty?

Aimee sat down on the chair and crossed her arms."But why _Russia_?" She whined, going back to tugging and braiding her hair anxiously.

Charlie turned. He was looking at Aimee in a way she had never seen before, a soft smile on his face. He looked sort of… resigned? Aimee couldn't quite put her finger on it. "They've made some discoveries there. The scientists are onto something. They've been mixing up the Wolfsbane Potion, and they think they're almost at this big breakthrough. They've been keeping it quiet, though… But… Aimee, with my help, they could find a way to reverse the effects of the Bite!" The longing and the excitement in his voice broke her heart. He was looking right at her, but his expression was far away, as if he was looking right through her. "I could be normal again, Aimee." He said. Charlie blinked and his eyes focused on her. "I'd be _cured_."

The way he said it. It was like he practically lived for that hope. He talked like it was his dream, his only ambition. The way Ron or Harry or Adelaide talked about Quidditch.

Heck, the way Mad-Eye talked about being an Auror and all defense against the dark arts classes they'd had back in December.

"With _your_ help? Charlie, you're _eighteen_. What could you _possibly_ do to help scientists that have been at it for _years_?" Aimee asked, biting her lip, forbidding herself to cry. This could mean Charlie would get better. He'd get a life. Wasn't that what she'd wanted anyway? Wasn't that what Charlie wanted?

He'd be leaving. For a long time. Maybe he wouldn't even come back.

"I've been taking extra Potions classes, remember? I'm getting a Degree in Potions when I graduate, and I'm the top in class." Charlie said, as though trying to convince himself, but then he lowered his voice. "There aren't a lot of werewolves who would risk what I'll be doing, Aimee. My sacrifice would mean _so much_. It's a win or lose bet."

Aimee's head shot up, her eyes bloodshot. "You're willing to be their fucking _lab rat_? Their stupid little ginea pig they can mess around with, hoping they'll get it right sometime?" She started breathing hard, she stood up, her fists clenched at her sides. "Charlie, you can't _do_ this! You could _die_! You could end up _worse _than you are now!"

"I know the risks, Aimee. I'm willing to take them. I just don't want to live like this anymore," Charlie said slowly, his eyes, suddenly so weird looking and more orangey-yellow than brown, were steady on hers, which were starting to well up with tears. "The pay is really good. The other werewolves who are doing this get lodged near a lab in comfortable, free apartments. They have everything we need up there."

The rage boiled up inside Aimee. Maybe if he were only there to research, not expose himself to some silly experiment that could go wrong any second, she wouldn't feel so mad at him.

"What about _me, _Charlie? What about _all_ of us? Me and Benji and Addie? What about _us_?!" Aimee shrieked desperately, and abruptly the tears spilled down her cheeks. She was so mad she wanted to throw something at him. "Are you going to abandon us just like that? Like we don't even _exist_ in your life?!"

"My life is a _lie_, Aimee."

"Yeah, but _we _aren't! _We're _real! _We're _what you have!" She was screaming hysterically now. Her cheeks were completely wet, and her tears tasted salty. Aimee dissolved into sobs, she sat back on the moldy old sofa, pulled her legs up, and cried into her knees, her sobs muffled. Charlie sat down next to her, and put his arm around her. Aimee threw her arms around his neck and cried into his t-shirt. It was wet with tears and snot within seconds. Yes, she had always been one to cry gracefully. Not.

"I have to go, Aimee." Charlie said softly into her ear, "You know that."

"I know," Aimee said in a small voice, crying, "_I know_."

**A/N: Hopefully you guys liked this chapter. Tell me what you think. I don't know about whether or not I will send Charlie to Russia, or make him change his mind. Review, please!**


	34. Decision

**A/N: This was a very interesting and fun to write chapter, and is also a really important one. I imagined this scene so many times and I finally got to write it. I hope you enjoy reading it :)**

For a few minutes they sat down that way, Aimee crying into his t-shirt, Charlie's arm around her shoulders, his hand sometimes clenching and unclenching on her hoodie. Then, he took a piece of her hair, and yanked playfully. She looked up. "It's time." He half-smiled, like he was trying to reassure her but couldn't quite summon up the energy. Aimee nodded, awkwardly wiping her tears, and stood up. Charlie walked over to the wardrobe and slid his t-shirt over his head, throwing it in a ball in the wardrobe, then kicked off his shoes and socks. He put all this in the wardrobe and locked it, placing the key over it. He turned and leaned against it. "Just a matter of minutes, I guess."

Aimee sat down on the wooden chairs and pulled her feet up. "Does it hurt? When you transform, I mean."

"Yeah, it does. Like hell it does." He crossed his arms over his chest. His expression was now sulky. HE wasn't even trying to be optimistic now. There was a dark shadow over his eyes, and he stared at the floor like it was its fault that he was a werewolf.

The room was silent for some time while they both waited. Aimee felt like she should say something.

"I'm really sorry, Charlie." She said suddenly. She didn't want him to be sad. She wanted him to smile again. She wanted to make it all better. She felt this strong urge to make him happy, to do anything in her power so that he'd smile. It wasn't fair to Charlie that he had to live like this. In a world of magic, shouldn't anything be possible, fixable?

"What for?" Charlie looked up, bewildered.

"For… well. This. That you have to go through this. I… I just want you to know that I'm sorry."

"S'not you fault," Charlie mumbled, his brows knitted together. Then he heaved a sigh.

"I really wish it didn't have to be this way."

"You and me both, Aimee." He said darkly.

They were quiet again. Aimee felt like there was something else she wanted to say. Something important. She couldn't quite formulate the words though. The way she felt. Something strong. Just watching Charlie, looking down at the floor like he had lost all hope. She felt… _protective_ of him. That was what she felt. Like she wanted to shield him from any pain, and hurt the bastard who had done this to him.

Which was weird, because judging Charlie, who looked pretty strong from the muscles on his arms and chest, now without his shirt, looked pretty capable of defending himself.

Why did she feel this way? Her hands balled into fists with anger. If she could, she'd do anything in her power so that he'd feel better.

But there was nothing she could do. Except comfort him, tell him it was ok? No. She wasn't content with that. She wanted to do something more. She stood up abruptly and strode over to him, and he looked up at her in surprise.

Then she threw her arms around him. Charlie went "What are you doing?" in a completely taken aback voice, but then put his arms around her as well.

"If there was anything I could do, really, I'd do it." She said quietly into his shoulder. "I mean it."

Charlie laughed quietly, his hand cupping around the back of her neck, strands of her hair between his fingers. She could hear the laughter, soft as it was, deep inside his chest. "Thanks, Aimee."

But then he tensed and he let made a sort of strangled, yelping noise at the back of his throat, like he couldn't breathe. Aimee let go of him, startled. "What's wrong?"

He pushed her away and he looked up at the boarded up window. Aimee cursed internally and looked, too, though she had no idea what could be happening behind the wooden boards. Then she looked back at him. He was staring intently, his eyes portraying fear.

The full moon was coming up. Charlie started to shake, first his hands and arms, then his whole body was quivering. His breath was coming on fast.

"No!" he groaned, and dropped to the floor at Aimee's feet on his knees, his arms hugging himself. Then a growling noise escaped from between his teeth. He looked up helplessly at Aimee. She saw how his eyes, before brown, started to change color, starting from the iris, to yellow. His slightly open mouth revealed his teeth, and his fangs elongated. He looked down, moaning. His hands clutched his arms, and he held tighter. His fingernails grew, and he ran them down his arms, leaving five long cuts on each arm.

Aimee stepped back, her hands on her mouth, horrified. Outside, there was thunder.

"Charlie!" She called, and she watched as the fur on his body grew and he sprouted a tail. His body grew almost twice its size in seconds. She took several steps back.

The wolf in front of her lifted its head and howled at the ceiling. Aimee wondered how such a big wolf could fit inside Charlie's body; it was almost as tall as a horse.

Then, both pairs of eyes, her green ones, his yellow eyes, met.

And she saw shame and hurt and fear in his.

The wolf, huge and brown, the deepest shade of brown, like the color of his hair, turned its back on her, and walked to the window, looking up at it longingly.

"Charlie," She called again. She went over to him and kneeled down beside him, not touching him. She reached out a hand and ran it through his fur, and the wolf, still refusing to face her, walked off, its ears down.

It really was a magnificent creature. He was powerfully built, and she did not doubt that with one clawed paw he could kill her. And his fur was soft, long, and thick. Fluffy, even, and warm. She dragged herself over to him, and this time he didn't move.

Her heart was pounding in her throat, and her hands felt clammy. It was hard to believe that Charlie could be such a big animal, so powerful and lethal.

She encircled the werewolf's neck with her arms and buried her face in his fur. "It's ok," She whispered, "It's going to be ok."

The werewolf emitted a low growl, not in a hostile way, but resigned. Like it was saying, "No, it's not." Aimee sighed heavily and closed her eyes. "I'm right here. And I'm not moving."The wolf lied down and put its head over its paws unhappily. She stroked his fur and leaned onto its huge body, her arms crossed. Then she changed position sideways. Her hand started the petting again, slowing from long strokes between the shoulder blades to just caressing of a piece of fur between her fingers. He was still awake she knew, but he was as still as if he were sleeping.

Her mind had already moved past "What can I do to make it better?" to a resigned "What do we do now?" She couldn't figure out why she obsessed over it so much. She wanted Charlie happy, but lately he'd been in one of his moods. It didn't used to be that way, but it was like he had a double personality. Most of the time he was his usual self, happy and cheerful and jokey. He made her laugh and she tried just as hard to make him laugh. It was like a competition between the two, to see who could do the best idiocies.

Then there was the gloomy, sad part of him, the one she noticed appeared sometime before transformations and ended up until a few days later. His expression was sometimes bitter, angry. And he didn't laugh a whole lot. But thankfully those didn't last long, and sometimes, Happy Charlie broke through.

Since December, the bitter, closed-up moods had become more frequent. Longer.

She wanted to keep him smiling. She especially loved that cocky grin when he was about to make a sarcastic, funny remark. Like when he laughed. She wanted to keep that smile on.

Aimee closed her eyes. She wondered what David would say, her spending the night with another boy who had been half-naked minutes ago. A boy who was not her boyfriend.

For some reason, the word _slut_ came to mind when she stated it that way. But then she reasoned that the boy she was spending the night with was covered in fur and had a snout and probably drooled a lot. Not exactly sexy. Speaking of furry, she should change to make Charlie more comfortable, since he had said it was easier when human blood was not near.

When she transformed, she settled beside him, feeling tiny in comparison to his huge body. She could feel his sides expand against her and contract with every deep breath he took and it gave her a sense of security and calm. She closed her eyes.

Why did she care so much? Why was she willing to do everything in her power so that she could see him smile again? It didn't make sense. She had never felt this strongly about someone's happiness, whether or not they felt ok, their health, and the constant need to keep them safe. Never felt so strongly about someone.

Heck, even Harry, with whom she sometimes felt those leftover feelings from him if he was ever upset or angry or in pain because of the growing-weaker link they shared, could not make her sympathize so much, could not make her feel actual pain for him, the desperate need to make him happy, and he was her own brother. She didn't feel that way with Harry, for example, and with Charlie, there was always this sense of protecting, this wanting to keep him away from any harm.

Like he couldn't do it himself, of course. Charlie was more than enough capable of taking care of himself.

She didn't want him to go to Russia, yet at the same time she wanted that cure as quickly as possible. She couldn't bear to let him go. She felt this strange sense of panic every time she thought about him so far away, without him around to be with her. She felt sick just to imagine a future without Charlie. It seemed empty without him. Sure, maybe he'd visit, but what would he be like? What horros would he have felt, what pain would he have gone through? How many times would he lose hope, how long would it take to break him when he realized there was no way to cure him? If he came back, how many scars would he carry, emotionally and physically? Would he be in one of his moods permanently, bitter and helpless and angry?

It scared her even more than the prospect of Voldemort, who, apparently, she was supposed to be helping his brother get rid of. And Voldemort was a deadly, powerful wizard who created terror when they heard his name.

For some reason, Charlie going away seemed like a more important matter than that.

She felt like she'd rather take on Voldemort alone than see him go, watch him walk away for so long, and seeing a different Charlie come back. He wouldn't be her Charlie. He wouldn't be so sunny and optimistic anymore. She imagined a bitter, angry Charlie, incapable of healing up to this point, bearing scars from the experiments performed on him, with a broken soul. An empty shell of the boy she once knew, the remnants left behind, only a piece of what he used to be.

The prospect left her feeling hopeless. Her heart felt like it could break if she saw him that way.

It was then when the idea popped into her head. Maybe if she went to Russia with him…? First, she and Harry would get rid of Voldemort, and then, maybe she could look for an Auror internship there in Russia, and be with him. Being there, with him, through the hardest time, suddenly seemed like such a good idea. Of course! She had to be able to do _something_!

Problem solved. Now she didn't have to live without him.

So, now that she had single-handedly solved all life's problems, Voldemort's, Charlie's and hers, she scooted closer to Charlie to sleep more comfortably in his warmth. In her dog form, a black and white border collie with long, healthy fur (Sirius had once told her that fur reflected the color and how much you take care of hair. Both hers and Sirius' dog forms had long, sleek well-kept hair. Aimee had always said her dog form always looked more groomed than his, at which they spent long discussions arguing and then transformed, going around the house and asking people who was more beautiful. Aimee won almost always because people kept reminding Sirius that he should be more macho about his hair and stop worrying about it. Sirius positively hated that. He'd say it was an affront to his manhood.) and bright green eyes, the color of celery sticks, like Harry's. She nestled into Charlie's soft warm fur, feeling minuscule next to him. A deep grumble escaped from beneath Charlie's throat, a sound of contentment.

And she fell asleep, feeling more optimistic than she ever had in days.

When Aimee was conscious enough to realize she was awake, she refused to open her eyes. She felt sleep-deprived and she wanted to keep laying down on this hard wooden floor and sleep forever. She knew that Charlie had gotten up, because there was no longer that fat fur coat against her own, and there were scuffling noises as someone padded barefoot across the room. The wardrobe's door creaked open and then there was a muffled sound of someone putting on clothes.

Aimee cracked her eyes open to see him buttoning up his white shirt, the one they used as a school uniform. "Good morning," She greeted sleepily. It was only then that she saw the pieces of cloth scattered on the floor. She frowned at them and pointed them out. "What are those?"

Charlie half-smiled. "The jeans I was wearing last night. I ripped them when I transformed."

"You lose clothes every time you transform?"Aimee sucked in her breath in horror. She imagined losing one precious outfit every month and it was like an arrow pierced through her heart.

"Nah, just today . I couldn't very well strip off all my clothes and run around naked until the full moon showed up, could I?" He grinned.

"I guess not…" Aimee laughed weakly. For some reason, an all-too-vivid image popped up in her head. She stuffed it in the back of her mind but it kept coming back up insistently. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, suddenly aware of her hair. It must look horrible. She stood up, looking closely at Charlie. He didn't look too bad, only sleep-deprived and sulky.

"We should head back to school," Charlie said as fiddled with his dark blue tie, "Or people might get suspicious."

Aimee wondered whether he meant of them realizing that he was a werewolf or that they'd imagine a rumor in which Aimee was cheating on David with Charlie.

The second option was more likely to get suspicious of.

It wasn't until halfway throughout the day, in Defense Against the Dark Arts when Aimee was fully awake and conscious, that she realized that her solution to all life's problem was absolutely ridiculous. Of course she couldn't go to Russia. She had a life in England, and an internship to get through. She had to study a career to get on with her life. She couldn't spend her life taking care of Charlie. This was his decision and she had to respect it, whether she liked it or not.

Aimee found herself pondering, as she did an incantation of some curse she already knew thanks to her lessons with Monsieur Montgomery, about why it mattered so much to her. Really, it was so ridiculous that she spent far more time thinking about Charlie than she did of her own boyfriend. Why she cared more about Charlie than David. David really liked her, didn't he? Why couldn't she bring herself to be happy about this piece of information. Her boyfriend was perfect; David was smart and funny and serious about what he wanted to do in life (he wanted to become a Healer). David liked her, a whole lot, and he could maybe even love her if she let him. He was handsome and good at magic, he listened to her and heard what she had to say, and he respected her.

But Charlie… Charlie was different. The way he looked at her, like he really got her, understood what she was saying, like what she thought was the most important in the world. The way he explained some of the subjects to her if she didn't understand, because, of course, Charlie got mostly top marks. The way he would grumble in embarrassment when she would happily tutor him in Defense Against the Dark Arts, the only subject where there was no competition between the two of them, because Aimee always knew everything about it. Charlie protected her, he cared if there was one little thing that hurt her, upset her in any slight way.

Charlie, who she knew would do anything for her. Who was not as calm as serious as David, but for some reason, Charlie's darkness somehow did not repulse her, it made her care even more.

Charlie, who she knew what he was feeling, just by the look on his face, because she knew him _that well_, and vice versa. Charlie, who she could not stop thinking about. Whose smile she was always eager to see on his face.

Her fingers grazed her neck, where the golden tiny chain was. She pulled the locket out from under her shirt and stared at the pictures. She'd forgotten about them for some time, the pictures of her parents. Lily and James, both smiling up at her, encouraging her. She traced her thumb across her mother's face. Aimee missed her though she had never known her. She wanted a mother to talk to, to tell her what to do.

Aimee snapped the locket shut and stuffed it back into her shirt. She did teh incantation again, distracting herself. Then she looked up at David and Charlie, both goofing around with magic, not really practicing the spell.

The question arose suddenly in her head as she watched as Charlie and David, both laughing as Charlie's wand exploded out some sort of yellow beam and turned the desk next to them into a goat.

Who did she care about most, Charlie or David?

The answer was obvious.

She wanted Charlie, of course. She cared more about him.

Charlie was the one she wanted, she knew she'd always sort of liked him, but slowly, somehow, somewhere along the way, she'd fallen in love.

It was weird, really, thinking this. It had always been in her unconscious, but she had never really thought about it up front before now. It wasn't a surprise really. It was more of a noticing.

Like walking along the beach and going; "Oh. Look. There's the sea."

He'd always been there. All along.

Aimee watched as the rest of the class sniggered quietly while Monsiuer Montgomery, who taught her as well as the rest of the 7th and 6th years, reprimanded Charlie, who looking like he was having the time of his life, turned the goat back into a desk with an apology, and listened to Monsieur Montgomery while he went on and on about the importance of paying attention to what you are doing and what consequences it would have if it had been one of the students he'd transformed and possibly damaged permanently.

Charlie's eyes, which were boring into Montgomery's, flicked to hers, and he grinned, as if to say, _get a load of this, eh? _

Which caused Monsieur Montgomery to grow more irritated to the fact that Charlie wasn't paying attention, still looking at her while she smiled and shook her head at him, and grant Charlie with detention. Then he rapped Charlie smartly on the head with the palm of his hand and fumed away.

Even after that, Charlie looked back at her again and grinned.

She knew that when one loved another and realized that that 'another' loved that 'one' back, that 'one' should be happy 'cause hey, they just found their love.

But she felt like she and Charlie were destined to be apart. Going to Russia would have serious consequences on him, and even if he didn't go, he'd be under the scrutinizing stare of the rest of the world as he'd be Aimee Potter's boyfriend.

But that stuff didn't matter, did it?

Aimee was aware that Charlie loved her. She knew by the way he looked at her that he did, and that it was something that would not easily end. Or would it?

The barriers she'd thought of against them being together suddenly seemed unimportant. Why _couldn't_ they be together? Charlie might be a werewolf, but was it that important? Life went on. His licantrophy was an obstacle, but it wasn't a wall between them. Was that what Charlie thought of it?

If Charlie hadn't been a werewolf, would they be together now?

What did it matter, what the rest of the world said? Sure, she was getting ahead of herself, imagining a relationship where it could work, but she had to remember that a) she had a boyfriend, and b) Charlie hadn't even told her what he felt, though she was pretty sure she knew what he felt for her.

Adelaide flopped down beside her, leaning her perky butt against a desk next to her. "Whatcha thinking about, hun? You're awfully quiet today." She commented cheerefully, and when Aimee didn't answer (she was still sort of dazed in her own world, thinking), Adelaide put one index finger on each side of her mouth and pulled up against the sides of her face. "Smile!"

"I'm trying, but your hands are on my face." Aimee said sarcastically, shaken out of her reverie, her words distorted by the strange shape her mouth had adopted with the pulling, and Adelaide laughed happily and removed her hands.

Across the room, Charlie winked at her. Aimee smiled back. And they looked at each other for a long moment.

David, next to Charlie, looked up and saw them looking at each other. His eyebrows creased in confusion and his smile faltered.

Aimee looked down. Damn.

**A/N: Aimee thought a lot in this chapter and she came to really important conclusions. I think next chapter Aimee'll break up with David. I planned the realationship to be a bit longer than just a month, but things just sort of led it to this. Keep reading and review, please!**


	35. The Break Up

**A/N: Enjoy!**

Two days later Aimee made up her mind. She was going to break up with him today. It had to be done. She couldn't stand it any longer. Which was why, that evening in the common room, Aimee found herself positively delirious with anxiety.

The chatter of people talking droned in Aimee's ears. She felt sick. The last few days she'd avoided David and felt awful. How was she going to tell him? Her gaze veered from David, talking with Arthur, to Charlie almost unconsciously. She stared at him, engrossed in a book, before making herself look away. Aimee was tired of pretending to do her homework. She was sick of telling herself that she preparing herself for what she was about to do. But Aimee had realized that in 'preparing herself' she'd never be ready. One was never ready to break up with anyone. Aimee was tired of lying to David and playing along with him as his girlfriend.

A relationship never worked if only one party liked the other. Of course what they had had been doomed to end the second David had kissed her at that party back in January. A month and a half had passed and she still felt no sense of finally liking him back.

Aimee stood up. She wasn't ready, and she never would be. But she had to do it.

"David?" Aimee asked softly, touching his shoulder, and he turned around and positively beamed at her. Aimee hesitated when she thought about how that smile wasn't going to stay for long. "Can we talk?" She tried to give him a reassuring smile, but her lip trembled and she found that a smile right now was nearly impossible.

"Sure," He answered, then turned to Arthur, "Catch you later, Arthur." Arthur walked grinned suggestively at both of them, waggling his eyebrows, the way he always did when he saw both of them alone. It had made Aimee laugh before, but now it made her stomach churn. "Let's go to my dorm room," Aimee suggested, and headed toward the door without waiting for his answer, but as always, David bounded after her, whistling cheerfully. She opened the door and held it open for him, then closed it behind her.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" David asked her, smiling. He sat on her bed and patted it so she'd sit down next to him.

He had no idea, Aimee decided. No one was this cheerful when they suspected anything. Had the "_We need to talk_" not thrown him off? It made things harder, really. It would have been easier if David didn't care about her so much.

"David, I…" How do you break up with someone? "I don't know where to start." David was silent, watching her, smile in place, one eyebrow up. He was amused. For now, anyway. "I mean, you are a really nice guy, and you're funny, and you've made me laugh loads of times…" Aimee waved her hands as if to conjure up words with them. "But I think…" Aimee paused. How to say it? "I don't think this is working out."

David's smile faltered and he looked confused for a second. "Wh-what? What do you mean, 'this isn't working out'?" His dark eyes bore into hers and Aimee squirmed under his gaze. She stood up and started pacing. David's eyes followed her left and right, left and right.

"_Us_, David. I don't think _we_ are working out." She explained slowly, motioning one hand to herself and the other to David as she said 'we'.

"But… Aimee…" David was shaking his head and his thick eyebrows furrowed. "Why? I mean, it wasn't like we were having problems or anything, I'd understand."

"David, you and I both know that we've distanced ourselves for some time now-"

"_You_ distanced yourself from me!" David interrupted suddenly, standing up and looking irritated. He then took a step back from her, shook his head and stepped forward again, taking her hands in his. "Aimee, I _love_ you. Don't do this."

The words created a weird sensation down her spine, like she was about to pass out. "I… I…" She stuttered, staring up at his deep-set dark eyes with her own wide green ones. "David. I'm sorry. I just don't… I don't feel that way. The same way about you." She whispered, taking her hands out of his. She bit her lip. "I'm sorry…I… Look. We can still be friends… I mean..." She was blabbering, trying to come up with an excuse.

"What are you trying to _say_, Aimee?" David asked in an uncharacteristically calm and hard voice. But his eyes looked pained as he spoke.

"I- just… I don't think we should see each other anymore and it's just-" Aimee broke off. She was making a fool out of herself. She shook her head and took a step closer to the door.

"Tell me the truth, Aimee. Don't lie to me. I don't want any excuses." David said in a low voice. He stared at her, his mouth shaped into a frown.

The truth. What was the truth? Aimee couldn't really tell him, '_Oh, well, I'm in love with my best friend- who's a werewolf, by the way- and I know I'm falling in love with him and not you, and I really tried hard to like you, you know? Love you back like you do me. A regular guy with no problems so I could have a normal boyfriend, you know? But it didn't work so now I'm even more in love with my friend more than ever. _That's_ why I want to break up with you. I know you deserve better, David. You deserve a girl who loves you back._' Now could she say that to him? No. But David wanted the truth, so she gave it to him. "David, you're a really great guy, but… well, I always liked as a friend, you know?" Well, at least partly. It was true she'd always liked him as a friend, but not… well, any other way.

"Then _why_ did you go out with me in the first place?" David cut in, hurt in his voice. He shook his head. It was like the silence in the room was too much for him. He opened the door wide, waiting for her answer before he left, as if the chatter in the room would helkp him clear his head.

"Because I knew _you_ liked _me_. And well, even though I didn't like you _that way_, I thought, why not give him a chance?" She shrugged helpessly. She hated the way she sounded insincere and careless. Her words seemed light and carefree, as if she were talking about the weather.

David sighted. "And you're saying it didn't work out, at least on your side?"

Aimee was about to respond, but she made the mistake of flicking her gaze from David's eyes to Charlie, sitting on a couch just a few feet away, quill poised over a parchment paper, staring at them intently. David turned and saw what Aimee was looking at, and his handsome features hardened. "_Oh_. I see."

Aimee flinched. Why had she done that? Now David would think she'd been using him to make Charlie jealous. "David, it's not what you think-" She pleaded, but David strode past her. Like hell it was going to end like this. Aimee stepped forward and grabbed his shoulder, stepping in front of him to block his way. There had to a way to fix this nightmare. She put both hands on his chest, as if that would stop him from leaving.

"Wait-"

"_Not what I think_?" David spat her words back at her face, livid. His fists clenched and unclenched, like he wanted to hit her. "Aimee, you-" He seemed at loss for words. Aimee blinked back hot tears that were coming to her eyes. She slowly withdrew her hands. "I can't _believe_ you." He shook his head. His shoulders were shaking, whether with anger, or maybe betrayal, Aimee could not tell.

"You _used_ me? You went _that_ low, Aimee?"

The common room was quiet now, all eyes on them.

"David-" Aimee started to say, her eyes pleading him to listen, but he strode past her without another word. Aimee stood there, staring straight ahead of her, as her breathing accelerated. Then she turned to see him go without another backward glance at her. "_David_!" She called desperately after him, but the only sound that was heard was the slamming of the door behind David.

The first tear rolled down Aimee's cheek and she brushed it away impatiently with the sleeve of her hoodie. Her heart beat madly in her chest and she was aware of all the stares directed at her pale, shocked face.

"Aimee?"

Aimee turned to see Charlie, who had heard the commotion and came up behind her. He looked concerned. Aimee took a shuddering breath as the second tear ran down her other cheek. "Don't." She said, her voice breaking, blinking back tears and trying to fight them furiously. There were murmurs going around the room. Everyone had seen the whole thing and were probably guessing what had happened. Students were looking at her and whispering to their friends, spreading rumors already.

The last thing she needed were people putting two and two together and figuring out what David had thought she'd been doing. Using him.

Aimee shook her head and took a step back from him. "_Don't_," She repeated in a dead quiet voice, "come near me."

Charlie didn't say anything more. His jaw was clenched with tension.

"Aimee-" Coming behind Charlie, Adelaide's face looked concerned as she hurried toward her.

Like Aimee was going to stand there like the idiot she was. She turned and fled out the door.

The common room broke out chatter, gossiping about what happened or getting back to whatever they were doing before.

* * *

The sound of rain when she stepped outside greeted her, but Aimee kept walking, ignoring the raindrops falling all around her. She hadn't seen David on her way out, and knew he must have taken another route.

Walking, walking. The raindrops fell against her face, mingling with her frustrated tears. Her hair and clothes quickly became so wet that she felt she'd jumped in the lake.

She might as well have. How could she screw up so bad? How could she be so heartless? Aimee grabbed a rock and threw it with as much force as she could. How could she have handled with it so badly?

She covered her mouth and let out a groan of desperation. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

That's what she was.

She didn't deserve such a great guy like David. Not even Charlie. She decided that as long as she lived she didn't deserve to be loved by _anyone_. The hollow feeling in her chest was too much. It was like it magnified the beats of her heart to a hundred times and she could practically hear it in her head.

She quickly transformed into a dog, not really caring if anyone saw her.

Then she ran into the forest and took a long walk.

As a dog, she became more relaxed. She could see things from another point of view. The smell of rain calmed her and the feeling of the mud beneath her paws, squishing between her toes felt good. She was able to come near other animals and see the world another way.

Aimee wished she could stay like that forever.

* * *

Aimee stumbled into her dorm room late into the night and sat on her bed. She didn't care if it got wet.

"Where have you been?" A voice said behind her. It was reproachful, like a mother waiting for her kid to come back from a party and was late, but still somewhat gentle.

"Out," Aimee replied wearily, "Look, Adelaide, I'm tired, and I want to go to sleep. I don't feel like being interrogated."

Adelaide stood up from her bed in the darkness of the room and turned on the light. "Aimee, it's past midnight and you're soaking wet. Were you out in the rain?"

Aimee sighed and laid her head back on the pillows. No use lying, was there? "Yeah, I was."

"What happened, sweetie?" Adelaide asked slowly, and sat down beside her. She'd probably heard by now. "You and David broke up, huh?"

Aimee closed her eyes. "Yeah," She said softly.

"Oh, Aimee, sweetie," Adelaide crooned and stroked her hair. "I'm sorry. I really am."

"It's ok," Aimee whispered, looking out the window.

Adelaide sighed. "It's all going to be ok, Aimee. You feeling alright?"

"I'm fine. I'm just tired," Aimee stood up and took out her pajamas from her trunk. "I'm sorry I made you wait." She closed the door of the girl's bathroom behind her and Adelaide stood looking at it a long time. Then she went to her lamp and turned off the light.

* * *

Aimee knew she'd be sick the next morning. Of course, being in the rain for 3 straight hours only would. But this pounding headache? Aimee wasn't so sure it had been worth it.

Even after Adelaide had conjured a thermometer and confirmed that she did had a fever, Aimee felt like she deserved it. If there was anyone who'd probably deserve more than ever a day in bed, it was David. Once she managed to get out of bed and get dressed to go to breakfast, Aimee realized that the rumor that she had broken up with David had gone through all the school. She was thankful that David hadn't fueled it and declared her a scarlet woman or anything. She was pissed at him for walking out that door before she had finished with him and made it look like she'd been using him to get someone jealous, or worse, like she'd cheated on him.

But if she lay low, she knew it would pass and people would get over it. Gossip here at Beauxbatons spread like a disease around the 7th years, but it never lasted more than a few days, depending on the scandal.

Aimee knew that Adelaide had told Charlie and Benji not to mention anything about it. Breakfast was eaten silently.

Well, except for Adelaide, anyway. She kept trying to make Aimee eat.

"You at least have to eat something," Adelaide argued, pointing her fork laden with eggs at her as if ready to sacrifice her own breakfast and shove it down her throat in a valiant attempt to keep her alive.

"I'm not hungry." Aimee replied. Maybe she should become an anorexic.

"Honey, starving yourself _isn't_ going to make things better," Adelaide stated deadpan, then grabbed a croissant of a nearby tray and thunked it down firmly on Aimee's plate like a judge thunking his hammer-thing and calling for order.

Aimee felt like it would make things better if she died of hunger because then she'd cause no more problems for anyone.

"Come on, Aimee. Eat _something_. Anything." Charlie took a stab out of trying to convince Aimee, but she only stared at him as if she'd just noticed he was there for 5 seconds straight. Then she turned away without another word, leaving Charlie looking pretty bewildered. He turned to Benji and raised his eyebrows in a questioning manner, but Benji just shook his head in a Don't-ask-_me_ sort of way and took a huge bite out of his buttered toast.

"Well, at least go back to the dorm and go to sleep. You nearing 38C," Adelaide insisted. She shot the boys a fierce look for backup, but Charlie only frowned at Aimee's lack of communication with him, so Benji took over. "Look Aimee, if your fever is really that high, it's not a good idea for you to go to class. Just take a nap and the temperature will go down," He said to her. Aimee just shrugged and continued to stare out the window.

Benji sighed. "He'll get over it, Aimee. He might be hurt for a while, but he's not going to get hung up on you forever. David'll move on. You're not that interesting, really," Benji added, and Aimee gave a half-giggle, although it was more of an exhale than a laugh.

"Gosh, thanks, Ben. That really makes me feel better." She said, smiling a little. Benji grinned back, and then cocked an eyebrow at Charlie, in a _Ha-I-made-her-listen-to-me-first_ triumphant sort of way.

"I heard you dumped you boyfriend, Potter," Marianna Nerushay said snidely as she walked past. "That's _such_ a shame." She and the two girls walking with her tittered girlishly.

Aimee looked up at her but didn't answer. She sat back in her seat and stared at her knife pensatively, wondering if she could maybe stake herself through the heart with it. Charlie seemed to sense what she was thinking because he grabbed her arm and yanked her up. "Come on, Aimee, I'll walk you to the dorm. You're falling asleep."

Aimee was too tired to argue. But as she stood up, her knees gave out under her and she fell against him.

"Whoa, you ok?" Charlie asked her, grabbing her shoulders and righting her. Aimee blinked the dark spots clouding her vision oit of her eyes.

"I'm fine," Aimee snapped waving at Charlie to leave her alone. "I don't want you to be late for class. I can get there myself."

"Are you sure?" Charlie asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Yeah. Absolutely." She assured him, feeling faint, and began to walk off in no apparent direction, but after a few steps, Aimee's sight blurred, and she passed out on the floor.

* * *

Aimee opened her eyes again and squinted, the room was blurry. Finally she sat up and looked around.

"Oh, you're awake," said the nurse whose name Aimee could never remember. "Feeling better?"

Aimee nodded. "How long have I been out?"

"Oh, only about half an hour. Here, take this medicine, it'll help with the fever," The nurse, who was a woman in her mid-40s, handed Aimee a goblet with a blue potion simmering inside it. As Aimee tilted the goblet into her mouth, the nurse continued, "Now, go rest up to your dorm and stay in bed. Come back to see me in 6 hours for another dose of the medicine, and if you're still not feeling well by nightfall, come see me again. Don't worry, I've already alerted your teachers about your passing out and that I've given you the clear for the day. Just go and rest up!"

Aimee nodded and put the goblet back on the table, accepting a hallway pass from the nurse. "Ok, then. Thank you." She opened the door of the infirmary as she wiped of bit of the strange blue stuff off her mouth with the back of her hand. She was already feeling her headache lessen.

Once she was out in the hallway she noticed it was completely deserted, except for a couple of 4th year boys who were skipping class. She decided to write Hermione a letter and then let her pass on the news to Harry and Ron. She didn't feel like sharing her dumping of David to them. Boys could never understand the inner workings of a girl's mind when dumping.

When she had sat down at her bed and taken out a piece of parchment, a quill, and an ink bottle, she started to write.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I screwed up. That guy I was going out with? I broke up with him. Why? Because I'm an idiot. I don't know why I went out with him, but I think I just agreed because I knew I had to forget this other guy. A guy who, in this world, is socially unacceptable to go out with. I know what you'd say, Hermione. If I really like this guy, then go for it. _

_But I can't. He's a werewolf, Hermione. You know who he is. You heard all the drama from winter break, remember? Things would never work out. Especially if you are, well, famous Harry Potter's sister (not that I resent Harry or anything. Just, you know, his famousness), so if people find out that the guy I'm going out with is a werewolf, the whole world would know, and I don't want to risk his secret like that. _

_Somehow he began to think I used him to get Charlie jealous. I know I could have made a better job breaking up with David. I can't believe I could have been so careless doing it and now people have some weird screwed-up idea that I cheat on boyfriends or use them to get other guys. Well, not all of them, but that's what our break up (made public, mind you) sounded like. The gossip about it should be gone soon anyway. People grow bored of talking about the same people after 3 days. _

_I feel so bad about it, though. David must feel pretty bad, he told me he loved me and everything. I could have broken up with him on better terms, I know it could have happened. But nooo, I just had to go and screw it up. _

_Hermione, But all I've been able to think about is him. Charlie, I mean. So, if you have any advice to spare, write back. _

_And if you don't, write back anyway. God knows I have nothing to do around here. __Except schoolwork and all the magic I have to practice and training for Quidditch. _

_But, you know, those don't count._

_Aimee_

_PS. I do realize that that my letter was totally emo. Don't worry, I don't plan on cutting my veins or stabbing myself (though I did consider it this morning with my butter knife) or starving myself (Yeah. I did that, too. But only this morning, though. I was an official anorexic for the whole 10 minutes I refused to eat breakfast. Then the nurse shoved a banana down my throat. Said the potassium would be good for me.) But I am over that now. I feel better now, after writing to you. _

_Either that or the medicine is taking way more effect than it should be accounted for._

_PPS. Don't you _dare_ mention the werewolf thing to Harry or Sirius. Or Ron, because he'll tell Harry, anyway. He's a total tattletale. But we love him anyway. (I know _you_ do, hun, wink wink) They'll probably hunt Charlie down or send animal control after him or something. _

_I don't really want to be responsible for Charlie being taken away in a net or whatever. He hates nets. He says they make him claustrophobic. _

_Kind of makes you wonder if he's ever been in a net, doesn't it? Maybe I'll ask him about it one day. "Hey Charlie, you ever been in a net?" "Oh, only once or twice. Those things really give you a wedgies!" _

_Yeah. So gonna happen soon. NOT. _

_I'm saying goodbye now for real. No more weird PS's, I promise. _

Aimee put the quill own, reread the letter, and added the second P.S, and when she was satisfied, she rolled it up and put it on her bedside table to deliver it later. Then she rolled over on her bed and fell asleep.

She slept for four hours straight, and then someone was gently calling her name and shaking her shoulders, Aimee opened her eyes and found that the headache had lessened by a lot, but she still felt hot and sick, though not as much as the morning.

"What time is it?" She asked groggily, pushing her hair out of her face.

"Lunchtime," Adelaide answered, satisfied that Aimee was awake, and sitting back down at the foot of Aimee's bed, "Or at least, it _was_." She added, shrugging. "You missed it, so we decided to bring some food up here for you."

Aimee finally noticed that Benji and Charlie were there, and there was a sandwich sitting on a napkin on her bedside table next to her rolled-up letter. The fact that Charlie was in the room seemed to make things better, but then she remembered that he was the reason for all the trouble and she grew depressed again.

Circle of life, wasn't it?

"Oh, thanks," Aimee said, rubbing her eyes and hoping that she was looking at least a bit presentable, having fallen asleep in her clothing and not having even bothered to get under the covers.

"Feeling better?" Charlie asked her in a concerned voice. He leaned against her bedpost, hands deep into his pockets.

"Yeah, much better," Aimee gave a dry, humorless laugh and accepting the sandwich, although she wasn't particularly hungry, "At least my head doesn't feel like it's about to explode." She gave a small bite to the sandwich, which, considering her appetite had been slightly inexistent for the past couple of hours, wasn't too bad. Adelaide was watching her closely, making sure all of that sandwich went down Aimee's throat.

Like a hawk.

Aimee chewed slowly, eyeing Adelaide eye her back. After she had gulped down the last bite, Adelaide nodded like a general would in approval of a soldier that had done things right. Really, she could have saluted back there.

**A/N: I enjoyed making Aimee suffer. I loved the letter, too, and teh break up scene was also good. Well, I pretty much enjoyed writing this chapter, even though it spread sadness and misery to pretty much all teh characters, except probably Charlie. He must be pretty happy they broke up. Review, please! I'm not updating until I get at least 3 reviews!**


	36. Quidditch for Suicidal Lovers

A/N: I have decided to revive this story. Carry on.

The next day they had Quidditch practice. Adelaide had seemed sort of against it, saying that Aimee was 'still too weak'. Aimee went anyway.

Now Aimee was flinging the Quaffle a little too hard. Jacques caught it after a particularly violent throw from Aimee, almost missing it and having it whacked into his nose, and stared at her with a perplexed expression. "Did I accidentally smack you or something sometime?" He asked, bewildered.

"No," Aimee jerked her broom up. "Sorry."

She needed a way to distract herself. She wanted to tire herself. That way she'd be too tired to think about what a complete idiot she was. She wanted to do something drastic, something risky and not care if she hurt herself.

Something fun!

Aimee wondered if she could maybe just jump of her broom and commit suicide. But then all her spattered remains would have to be cleaned up by her team, and they'd all get detention for letting Aimee kill herself.

Oh, well.

She shot her broom up in the air, going faster, faster. She squinted against the rushing air, slowly pulling her broom into a vertical position the higher she went.

She squinted as the humidity and the air pierced her eyes. It felt so good, going so fast and getting away from all of them.

"Aimee, what are you doing?" Someone yelled after her, but she didn't stop.

Faster, faster. Higher. She wanted to reach the clouds. The exhilaration made her breath catch. She clutched her broom tighter. She loved the way it felt like she was going to die any second. It was sort of weird. And suicidalistic.

_I wonder what happens if I just let go. Just like that. Right now. Right here. _

She gave a dark chuckle. The others would think she was suicidal. She stopped her broom. She was so high up the school building, with its moss growing on its walls and castle-esque tower which nobody knew how to get to, looked like a speck. She had trouble breathing. Maybe she'd black out from lack of air and plunge thousands of feet below and kill herself.

But then her team would get detention for letting her kill herself anyway.

She turned her broom so that was facing vertical, pointing directly down. She began to descend. _Faster._ She loved the way her stomach shrank back with butterflies and the distant buzz in her mind telling her she was going to die if she didn't slow down.

_Faster. Faster. _

The castle and the grounds were getting bigger but she didn't care. The Quidditch Pitch was on her right. She'd gone so far up that she wasn't even going to land inside the Quidditch Pitch. She was going straight for trees.

Wow. The ground suddenly looked really near.

Huh. Maybe she should brake. She pulled her broom up forcefully, but it was going to take a lot more than that to stop. She groaned as she tried to stop, using all her force. She was getting nearer to the trees now. There were panicked yells over by the Quidditch Pitch.

Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea.

"No!" Aimee screamed, but she was plunging down fast. There was about 2 seconds of sheer, I'm-going-to-die panic before going violently through a tree. Her broom was wrenched beneath her and she uttered a shriek, putting her arms in front of her face for protection as she smashed back-first into a tree branch and broke it. There was a blur of brown and green before her eyes, and then everything stopped spinning around as she hit the ground painfully and she felt her lungs lose all air.

Everything was silent for a few seconds. Then Aimee forced her eyes open. Everything seemed indistinct, out of focus. She waited for the two fuzzy trees in front of her to merge into one fuzzy tree.

There was sunlight trying to peek in through the tree branches, clouding her vision. Then, everything seemed to clear and the whole world seemed magnified. She uttered a small moan of pain and turned her head slowly.

A rock. Huh. Pointy, too. Maybe if she had landed just a foot to the right her head would have fallen on it and killed herself.

Her mind felt so groggy and slow. She tried to get up but her whole body hurt. She lifted a hand above her head to shield the sun getting into her eyes, palm up. Something wet and warm fell to her cheek and slid down to her hair, sprawled all around her like a black halo.

Blood. Her hand was bleeding. She turned it, her hand shaking, and saw a small tree branch sticking out of her fingerless gloves, just below her thumb. The vibrant red color was too bright against her muddy skin as it went down her outstretched arm in droplets.

She reached with her other hand and tried to pry it loose. A moan of pain escaped her as a sudden pain shot up her left shoulder. Ooh! A heart attack! So if she didn't die of falling a zillion feet into a tree, then she'd die of a heart attack!

Yippee.

It wasn't a heart attack, though. She put her left arm down and instead lowered her right hand to her left so as not to move it. Her left hand seemed too weak at first, clammy and slow, but then she finally got it out. She cried out in pain as it came out, then, grunting, saw how much had gone in.

The branch was small, not really thick, but it had gone in like a porcupine needle. One inch of it was covered in blood. She dropped it into the grass beside her. Then, there were pounding, frantic footsteps. Someone was arriving.

"Are you _fucking_ suicidal?" Charlie bellowed, and Aimee turned her neck to see Charlie running towards her.

"Aimee! What's _wrong_ with you?" Jacques yelled, just behind Charlie. The other members of the Quidditch Team were following close behind, landing and throwing their brooms aside to get to her as fast as possible.

Charlie kneeled next to her, one knee on the ground. He grabbed her shoulder, breathing heavily and looking uncharacteristically pale. "What was that stunt you just pulled?" He said a little too sharply for Aimee's contentment, which didn't matter much since she wasn't very content right now, anyway. Her head was pounding. Or maybe that was her heart beating in her ears?

"I wanted to see what would happen," Aimee said weakly, blinking as her vision fogged up again and Charlie's face blurred.

"Are you ok?" Laurent asked in awe, as if he had been expecting to find her only her remains on the forest floor.

Aimee sat up. Her hair felt damp, warm blood was pouring down her face and into her neck. All of the quidditch team seemed to suck in their breath as if expecting her to suddenly black out or drop dead in pain.

"I'm fine," Aimee muttered, waving their hands away as they offered to pull her up.

"Aimee, you practically gave me a heart attack!" Adelaide said, pressing her hand to her heart to emphasize and breathing heavily. She was shaking uncontrollably. Oh, well, there was _another_ person who had come in heart attack range!

"If that wasn't an attempt to kill yourself, then I don't know what is." Camille said sarcastically from behind her, but there was a touch of amazement. Awe even. Maybe she'd grow up to be a kamikaze pilot, inspired by Aimee.

Aimee stood up groggily, checking for any broken bones. She felt was a constant, nagging pain all throughout her body. Her shoulder felt particularly pained, and as she moved her arm again experimentally, it was like ice had shot through it and to her head. She let out a small groan as the icy feeling clouded her brain. "I think I broke my clavicule." She said through clenched teeth.

"I'm not surprised," Charlie dead-panned, and slid an arm around her waist to hold her up, putting her other arm around his shoulders. Aimee was glad for it, she felt like she'd fall any second.

"You know, I think that if all those tree branches you just broke hadn't stopped your fall, we'd only have found pieces of you scattered all over the floor." Ulrich, the beater, commented idly, looking up at the broken branches up ahead. There were still some leaves fluttering down.

Aimee looked at the floor, which was littered with leaves and pieces of bark and had mud marks where her body had hit the floor and moved, and a few scattered bits of branches and the occasional tree limb as thick as her forearm. There was one, though, thicker than her torso. Completely broken in two. Wow. She was either really fat or moving really fast.

"Oh, God, it hurts so much," Aimee moaned, suddenly more aware of the pain. Her back hurt like hell. She fumbled weakly with the Velcro straps to take off her glove and shook it off. Adelaide made a hissing noise and flinched as she saw the deep, though small hole just below her thumb. Suddenly her hand seemed to hurt a lot more.

"Wait," Charlie commanded, and slid his arm off, "Oh, God." He was looking at his forearm, which had stuck to Aimee's shirt. Now it had splotches of red on it. The back of her thin t-shirt was ripped and damp with blood. Where skin should have been were not very deep gashes where the tree bark had rubbed against her back as she'd hit it and broken it in her fall. He gingerly lifted up her t-shirt with his thumb and forefinger and his eyes widened. The tree bark had grazed her skin violently.

"That's _sooo_ gross," Camille said, as if the whole situation was a fun field trip.

Aimee tried looked over her non-injured shoulder and winced. "So that's why it hurts so much. I shed my skin," She said feebly.

Charlie carefully put the t-shirt back in its place and Aimee winced again as the fabric brushed against her open flesh.

"Come on," Jacques said, grabbing her arm, careful not to move it so as not to hurt more her injured shoulder, "Let's get you to the nurse."

Aimee walked slowly and carefully and felt the shooting pains up her legs and back. Her punctured hand was throbbing endlessly. She regretted having done something so stupid.

"There. You happy now?" Adelaide was telling her angrily, "You almost got yourself _killed_! Is that enough punishment for breaking up with David? 'Cause if you're not done I swear I will _hit_ you. I can't believe you would do this to me! You had me _worried sick_! I thought you were _dead_! Do you have _any_ idea-"

And so on. Adelaide kept ranting and nagging her all the (painful) way back to the castle.

"Practice is canceled," Charlie muttered as they neared the gates, "In case any of you hadn't guessed that by now."

"Why the heck did you go and do something like _that_ for?" Camille sqwacked at her as if Aimee's behavior didn't make any sense, and considering all the twitching Aimee was doing, she wasn't sure if she could be called completely sane, anyway, "Come _on_. Boys aren't worth stripping the skin off your back for."

Then she added, "No offense," to the raised male eyebrows she got. "Well, bye." She said to them, and went up the stairs.

After Ulrich, Charlie, and Jacques assured Laurent that they could handle Aimee, he left after Camille, and the three boys struggled with Aimee up the stairs (she had finally accepted being carried) with Adelaide following behind them still making sarcastic retorts when Aimee complained about the pain and starting up on anti-suicidal lectures.

"My dear, what happened to you?" The nurse gasped at her as the five of them trudged in.

"Broom accident," Ulrich grunted out of breath, then reached over and grabbed Aimee as she started to wobble.

"Broom accident?" The nurse gasped, "What did you do, fly through a tree?"

When all they did was stare at her, her eyes widened. "Oh."

The nurse said some inviting words and sat Aimee up, then started inspecting Aimee's injuries.

"Well, I'm surprised you didn't black out," She said, sounding genuinely impressed as she gingerly held Aimee's bloody hand and turned it over to make sure the tree branch hadn't completely perforated it.

Aimee caught sight of herself in the mirror, and she was a mess. Her hair looked seriously wind-blown, and there were bits of leaves and tiny sticks clinging to it. There was a scrape on her forehead, just entering her hairline, and dried blood stuck to her hair and face. There was a cut on her cheek, just below her eye, and about a dozen scratches on her neck, and few yellow-green bruises on her jaw. Her arms were covered in cuts and bruises and scrapes and the occasional thorn, which Jacques all too happily plucked out when spotted.

The nurse confirmed that she did have a broken clavicle, and after strapping her shoulder into some strange contraption specially made to unable her to move her arm or hand or neck ("That's a great idea," Adelaide had said upon seeing it, "Let's ask the nurse if we could borrow a straitjacket for Aimee after she gets better! Then maybe then she won't _try to kill herself_."). Aimee felt incredibly stupid in it. But then again, she _was_ for getting herself into the stupid thing in the first place.

And Ulrich had all but guffawed, and when Aimee shot him a glare, he made a polite attempt to stop and commented on how sexy she looked with that thing on her neck. Then he burst into laughter and told her to get better, and left.

Then the nurse shooed the rest of the boys out of the room and stripped Aimee of her torn t-shirt, and poured a hot flesh-colored thick liquid on her back, which stung and made her whimper as it restored her skin back to normal. She did the same on her hand, and the little hole stitched itself back together before her eyes, leaving a small pink tissue circle behind, a few inches above the scar on her wrist. Had the scar been straight, maybe the little circle could have dotted it and it'd be an _i_.

"That scar will disappear gradually over the few next days, Mademoiselle Potter, don't worry," The nurse assured her as Aimee inspected it. "I would advise you to stay out of the hospital wing for the next few days, dear. Though I will be keeping you here tonight while you clavicle heals, ok?"

"Ok. Thanks," Aimee nodded, then looked at herself in the mirror. The stupid contraption held her arm in a weird angle. She couldn't wait to have it off. Adelaide was kicked out, bidding her goodnight, and the nurse handed Aimee a goblet with a bone-healing potion.

"I put a dormant in that," The nurse warned her, "I figured you'd need it. I doubt you'll be very comfortable in that thing all night." Aimee nodded, wrinkling her nose at the smell. She forced it down her throat, the stupid thing tasted _so bad_. It even left aftertaste! She quickly reached for the pumpkin juice the nurse had left on the table and gulped it down. Much better. Aimee lay down on the bed and waited for the potion to take effect. She was feeling drowsy already.


	37. Barcelona, Te Estas Equivocando

Again, the next day she realized it wasn't worth it. Really, didn't a girl learn? First wandering aimlessly through the rain for hours after an improper breakup, then reachimg the stratosphere with her broom and almost killing herself on the way back. She woke up with an aching shoulder and a pounding headache. Those painkillers were like a bomb had been dropped into the body. It numbed the pain but made her heart jump to her head and beat twice as fast practically.

Thankfully, though, the potions had worked throughout the night, and her clavicle was healed, though stiff, the next day. The nurse advised her to stay away from any physical activity for at least two or three days. So, when Aimee made her way back to her dorm room the next morning in last night's clothes, she was grateful that it was still so early that she could take a shower and still get some breakfast. She came down to the Grande Salle, clean, fresh, and ready to start again. The bad feeling of dumping David so cruelly had disappeared pretty much when she heard that David had given a satisfied snort when he heard about her fall.

"Good Morning," Aimee chirped as she plopped down next to Benji at breakfast and helped herself to some cereal. Benji and Ivonne, who were sitting together, bid her a good morning as well. "Glad to see you're feeling better." Benji commented, smiling.

"Ah, well, you know how near-death experiences can change your view on life." Aimee commented lightly as she poured milk into her Froot Loops.

The day went on normally. They went to classes and Aimee and David politely ignored each other. David because he was pissed at her, and Aimee because she felt partly awkward talking with him so soon after such a disastrous breakup.

But other than that, lessons were fine.

Another month passed, and the 7th years grew excited. It was almost time for their graduation trip; they'd all be going to Spain for a whole weekend, to the city of Barcelona. It was a trip that took place every year for the graduates, on the second weekend of April. The 7th years would stay at a hotel for Friday, Saturday and return Sunday night to be at school the next Monday.

Aimee had been in Transfiguration when Madame Maxime entered their classroom. This was the only class all three houses, Catherine, Arnaud, and Eugene, took all together. The rest of the time it was either one house or two.

"Hello, students," Madame Maxime greeted them. Then she addressed their teacher. "Madame Sophie, I was wondering if I could interrupt class for just a moment? I must speak to them of the class trip to Barcelona." There was a low murmur of excitement. Madame Sophie nodded her head and sat down at her desk. Madame Maxime smiled at them, putting down a bunch of pieces of parchment paper on her desk. "Well. I'm sure you all know of the trip by now, but we have to assign you your rooms numbers and hand out the itinerary and explain a little of what we'll do." She waved her wand at the stack and the papers flew orderedly around the room, each paper fluttering gracefully to each student's desk. Some picked them up and began to scan the agenda eagerly, nudging their neighbors and talking quietly. Aimee picked up her own paper. In it was the time and names of all the places they would go. Below that were the names of her two roommates that she'd be sharing with. Aimee frowned at the two names on the list.

_Marianna Nerushay_

_Lucienne Auriel_

The names were picked at random, but she wasn't liking this. She'd heard of room exchanges, so she could arrange to be with Adelaide or at least a girl from her house. But really, to be forced in a room with Marianna Nerushay? Yeah, ok, she'd gotten somewhat along with her at the beginning of the year during the Death Eater Drill, gotten stuck with her for hours in some godforsaken water-filled hole until some idiot rescued them and then splattered them in paint. Heck, they'd even teamed up against him to beat him up and laughed at it together.

But that was it. Marianna Nerushay Get-Along-Moments were a once in a lifetime thing. Marianna had already dated 5 boys in one school year, dumping Jean-Pierre during winter vacation (finally) and then going through 4 boys, practically one each month. Her current boyfriend right now was Arthur, of all people, and they'd been dating for about two weeks. It wasn't long before Marianna grew tired of him and chucked him out the window like a rotten banana. Not even boys could be with her more than 2 months. Jean-Pierre had been a miracle when they'd lasted 8 months.

Now, the other girl, Lucienne, she could deal with. She was a girl from Marianna's own house, Arnaud, and she knew her only a little. But she knew that Lucienne was a funny, pretty nice girl, so she wasn't too worried. The trips would be the whole generation so she'd never be without her friends. She was just sleeping in the same room as them.

"Now. We will arrive at the AB Skipper Barcelona Hotel at around 5pm through floo powder. It's a lovely 5-star hotel, just 50 meters from the beach. I'm sure you'll like it. And after we arrive we'll unpack and go to La Pedrera, at 6.30. Then, we're going on a nighttime tour, especially reserved for us, of the Sagrada Familia! We return at midnight to the hotel…"

Aimee let Madame Maxime's voice turn into a drone. Adelaide leaned across her seat to peer at Aimee's itinerary. "Who'd you get?" She whispered.

Aimee held up her paper and pointed. "Marianna Nerushay, of all people, and Lucienne Auriel."

"Eww. Good luck with her. Lucienne's pretty decent, though. I got two complete strangers from the House of Eugene."

Aimee lowered her gaze and examined her agenda. On Saturday they got to go shopping at La Boquería, which Aimee felt giddy about. Spanish clothing, shoes, food and more! Exactly what she needed. They were letting them roam about on their own for a couple of hours until lunch at the Barcelona Restaurant and Bar. Aimee looked up as Madame Maxime broke off the itinerary explanation and told them about how all these places were muggle, so they couldn't do magic and any student caught would be suspended and maybe even expelled. Then, they would head off to the Picasso museum and then to the Teatre Lliure for a show. Then they would get united in the hotel so that everyone went to the San Sebastian beach together for a farewell bonfire. Swimsuits were encouraged for a midnight swim.

The next day, they would go to the beach again for a few hours in the morning, and then to lunch at the hotel, all of which they could arrive at any hour. At 3 they would apparate to the Park Guell for a quick tour and then left alone for the rest of the evening, and then unite again in the same park to go back to the hotel, pack, and return to school by 8pm.

Aimee grinned. It was going to be a fun weekend. It was only a week and a half away, but she could already imagine the Mediterranean sea glistening in the horizon and the salty smell of the beach, walking around with her friends in a Spanish city and enjoying life.

The Friday they were leaving to Barcelona came quickly enough, and Aimee found herself packing the Thursday before in anticipation. She packed shorts for the hot weather and two bikinis, tank tops and t- shirts, the skirt Ginny had given her for her birthday (she gave it a good whiff before stuffing it in her suitcase. Still working its charms). She put in one pair of flats, her gladiator sandals , her converse, and her favorite pair of skinny jeans. She folded carefully and placed inside a beige-colored dress for their trip to the beach on Sunday.

Aimee zipped up her suitcase after stuffing in pajamas and her bathroom things and clapped her hands satisfactorily. She glanced sideways. Adelaide was trying to stuff one more pair of cutoff jeans into her suitcase before closing it. Aimee rolled her eyes, then went over and helped her close it by sitting on it.

The next day everyone was in a good mood and jittery. Barcelona and its sandy beaches were waiting.

"Are those things strictly necessary?" Charlie eyed both Aimee's and Adelaide's suitcases, both as tall as their waists. Charlie hitched his duffel bag onto his shoulder and raised an eyebrow.

"It's Barcelona," Adelaide sniffed. "We have to look fabulous for it. And we can shrink it, anyway," Adelaide nodded with dignity in agreement and murmured an incantation, giving her wand a slight jab, causing her suitcase to contract to three times its size. Adelaide picked it up with both hands, now as big as a stuffed toy, and smirked at Charlie, who sighed and looked to Benji for support. Benji was too busy, though, to pay attention. He and Ivonne were saying goodbye like they were never going to see each other again, promising to write and saying that they would never stop thinking about each other. Charlie snorted at the shameless display.

She rolled her suitcase toward the line of students, waiting and talking happily, commenting on what they planned to do and what they wanted to buy. Charlie followed as she did the same incantation as Adelaide and her suitcase shrunk to the same size. She and Adelaide and Charlie talked contentedly about their trip and finally Benji joined them, waving to Ivonne as she went back headed outside with Paola, Samantha and Elizabeth. He looked almost puppy-like as he stared after her, as if wishing he could take her along.

Aimee rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, it's just 2 days. We'll be back on Sunday."

They were enveloped again by the chatter as one by one, each 7th year threw a speck of Floo Powder into the fire, stepped in, and said the name of the hotel clearly. Finally it was their turn. Adelaide went first, then Aimee, then Benji and last Charlie.

When Aimee stepped out of the fire, she realized she was in a wizarding hotel. Wizards and witches in robes, speaking mostly Spanish, flocked around, getting their room number. Already Madame Maxime, Monsieur Montgomery, and Madame Dubois were at the reception, speaking to the secretary behind the desk as she ruffled through some papers, saying the names of the students and which room they would be going to. Students milled around pleasantly, most standing around the spacey waiting room while other sat on the sofas, futons and couches, others sitting at the arms or leaning against friend's legs on the floor. The four of them made their way to where the integrants of the House of Catherine sat and stood around.

There were 29 students in total. Nine in Catherine, twelve in Arnaud, and eight in Eugene. The tiny waiting room buzzed with talk and laughter.

Madame Maxime clapped her hands for attention. "Students! Students! I know you are excited, my dears, but you must listen to me. We're all located on the third floor, just so you know. Now, let's see, room number 31 is Arthur Laplace, Jean-Pierre Smith and Jakkob Salzgiver."

The three boys grabbed their stuff and Jakkob held out his hand for the key. They headed upstairs, talking.

"Number 32, Emile Auriel, Adrien Fluhr, and Jacques Ventura…" The three boys stepped forward to retrieve their key.

Madame Maxime continued up until there were no more boys left and started in on the girls. Aimee found that she was room number 38, and she, Lucienne, and Marianna made their way upstairs with their shrinked luggage.

Once they reached their room, Marianna, as was expected, flitted around unimpressed, holding up things and raising her eyebrows or making a comment about how all these things were beneath her. She flicked her fingers at the curtains and frowned at the two beds, then complained that the tub was not big enough. She held up the little bathroom kit that had been left on the sink; composed of tiny bottles of shampoo and conditioner, a small bar of soap, moisturizer, and an assortment of other bathroom-ish stuff in miniature; and dropped it back with an indignant scoff. Lucienne and Aimee looked at each other and rolled their eyes at Marianna's divaness. At least they agreed on something.

The girls started unpacking while Marianna started talking. "So," Marianna said, flopping down on the bed and not bothering to unpack. "I started dating this guy, Romain, you know him, right, Aimee? And he's taking me to see this castle named after some duke or count or something-"

"What happened to Arthur?" Aimee asked, genuinely curious.

"Oh, I dumped him ages ago."

"What's that? Three days ago?"

"Don't be fresh. Anyway, so, we're sneaking there after hours so there's not going to be anyone around, and-"

Aimee rolled her eyes and drowned the sound of Marianna's voice as she droned on and on about how her date with Romain was going to be so romantic or whatever, and she stuffed her clothes in her drawer. She put some money in the pocket of her cargo shorts and leaned against the dresser while Lucienne and Marianna argued over who was cuter, Romain or Adrien Fluhr, Lucienne's newly acquired boyfriend.

Aimee ignored them and walked to the window. She could see the Mediterranean Sea from here. She longed to be at the beach, with the hot sand beneath her or possibly toying in the waves, in her swimsuit and wading through the cristaline blue waves. The sea was a very pretty color, transparent and bright bluish-green. Aimee could almost smell the salt in the sea.

After Aimee finished packing, she looked at her watch. "We'd better get down. They must be getting ready to leave." The three girls headed downstairs, knapsacks hanging over their shoulders, ready with cameras, wands, lip gloss, bottles of water and snacks. Most people were already down. Aimee made her way over to Benji and bopped him upside the head with her knapsack playfully.

"Hey!" Benji protested, rubbing his head. Aimee grinned at him.

"Abusing children now, are we?" A male voice said behind her, and Aimee jumped. Charlie had said it awfully close to her ear; she felt his breath tickle her neck. Charlie chuckled. "So, where's Addie? Isn't she with you?"

"Nah," Aimee said, "She's in another room. I think she and her roommates are the last ones we're waiting for." Aimee added thoughtfully, looking around. She caught sight of Adelaide coming down the stairs and beckoned her over. Once they were all there, Madame Maxime led the way out of the AB Skipper Barcelona Hotel, and all 29 students plus the 3 teachers, to make their way to their first Barcelona visit.


End file.
